"My Uncle George (a.k.a. 'The Swede') joined the USN in November of 1943 - he was nineteen.  He was not drafted - he volunteered.  He loved the ocean and he loved the Navy.  He, like all submariners, volunteered for the most dangerous duty.  The USS Snook was his first submarine.  He was lost on his first patrol.  He was 20 years old.  He had studied in submarine school as a torpedoman.  When a torpedoman was left off the Snook in Guam, someone needed to take his place.  George and his friend Roland Petret flipped a coin to see who would get the spot.  George won.  Our family is proud of his and all submariners extreme bravery and service to our country."

Niece: Marianne Light - mmlight@msn.com

 

Excerpt from a letter George wrote to his mother, Anna, dated March 7, 1945: "This is my third day aboard the boat.  Things are going fine.  All the guys are swell.  The chow is just fine.  We had steak for dinner tonight also peas and potatoes.  I guess you'll never know me when I get home.  The way I am eating I'll be fat as a pig."