George DeLong was born on June 26th, 1922. Growing up, he often sold groceries, such as homemade root beer and raisin pies, door to door to help make ends meet after his father died when George was a little boy. When World War II began, George realized he wanted to serve his country. Working in a hosiery mill making women’s stockings, he found his calling when he found a poster at a local post office with an Uncle Sam figure saying, “Join the Navy and see the World.” George was interested, but wanted approval from his mother beforehand, as he was concerned that their living situation would put a damper on his plans. Surprisingly enough, she approved. At age 18, he signed up for the US Navy.

When considering jobs in the navy, George eventually was transferred to become a quartermaster. This led him to the USS Oklahoma, which in his minds was the “Queen of the Sea,” her accelerated age notwithstanding! He deeply enjoyed sailor life.

On December 7th, 1941, at age 19, George’s life changed forever. The evening was fairly mundane. He went out for a movie at a local Japanese movie theater, before going back to the docks to sleep. The next morning, water started coming through the ship. George heard a boatswain’s mate scream, “All hands man your battle stations! Set Condition Zed through the Ship!” All the doors had to be locked down. Not all the sailors followed the command. It was a weekend morning, and many were exhausted from the previous week. As the water kept rising, it became quite clear quick action had to be undertaken as soon as possible.