THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 26, 1994 TAG: 9410260019
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
World War II thrust thousands of U.S. servicemen into America's circle of heroes. Among the more unusual among them was George Gay Jr., a Navy aviator who found himself in the national spotlight not for capturing an enemy position or downing an enemy plane but for surviving and then watching a battle.
The time was June 1942; the setting was the Battle of Midway, a costly but crucial victory over the Japanese in the Pacific.
Mr. Gay, 25 at the time, flew a TBD Devastator in the aircraft carrier Hornet's Torpedo Squadron 8. The squadron, which joined in attacking a Japanese carrier task force on June 4, was wiped out. The Japanese shot all 15 planes out of the sky; 29 of the squadron's 30 men - all save Mr. Gay - perished.
The surviving aviator, wounded and in a life jacket, spent 30 hours in the water before being rescued and hence witnessed this pivotal engagement. Although the Japanese knocked out three torpedo squadrons, they had to call in their combat air patrol to do it. This left them vulnerable to Navy dive bombers - from the carriers Enterprise and Yorktown - whose attack cost the Japanese three irreplaceable carriers, their combat pilots and, many say, the war.
Adm. Chester Nimitz sent Mr. Gay back to the United States to give the American people a first-hand account of the Battle of Midway. He appeared on radio shows and on the cover of Life magazine.
After the war the naval aviator returned to civilian life and flew for TWA for 30 years.
Mr. Gay's death the other day at age 77 revived the saga of more than a half-century ago.
His story also reminds Americans today of a time that not only may have been this country's finest hour but also was a time when the people were united, the enemy was well-defined, the mission was clear and the outcome undoubted. by CNB