George Verva
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
George Verva enlisted in the Regular Navy on October 9, 1940, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Mr. Verva served as a Chief Radioman. He was a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Mr. Verva shared the following story: "I was serving as a radioman...and was receiving distress messages from the other islands because of the attack. Our operations were hidden in a building which extended from shore into the water as though it was some sort of commercial business about three miles from Pearl Harbor.
"I could see Diamond Head through the window....I was just going off duty about eight a.m. when my buddy and I walked out the front door and saw an odd-colored plane about a hundred feet from us and in seconds it just blew up in pieces. We went back inside...and the circuits were going wild and Pearl was under attack, and the inner islands were being bombed at the same time....The Jap planes...seemed to know where the Army and Navy barracks were and where the big ships were in the harbor. And I say thanks and God bless the Marines that took quick action against the enemy as all hell broke loose.
"Soon after, ...I was transferred to a cargo ship named USS Mataba, loaded at Pearl Harbor with bombs, nitro, steel mats, and supplies. Destination was Guadalcanal, where the Jap planes came and dropped bombs every day. So I volunteered spare time to help unload cargo. I was alone in number four hatch when, without warning, a Jap sub fired two torpedoes at our ship. Something felt like scraping under my feet and the ship moved, and seconds later there was an explosion when torpedo number two hit the center of the engine room; blowing a hole and driving the engine through the other side. I went flying in the air with boxes of nitro and the rest of the cargo in that hole.
"I was blown over the side feet first to a depth of about 12 feet down in the water, and survived the blast of a depth charge about 15 feet from me. When I surfaced and swam, I realized another sailor was clamped with his arms around my two legs and I was drinking South Pacific ocean water. Yes, I have a lot to say...
"After loss of the cargo ship, I volunteered for duty on Guadalcanal as radio operator from a hidden tunnel. Hell broke loose every day of service; a bomb dropped in front of me, did not go off; heels of my shoes shot off as I dived into a fox hole for cover. A normal day was being bombed by day and shelled at night but was secondary to what malaria was doing to the men on the island. That darn mosquito finally got to me with it''s malaria..."
He also served as Chief Petty Officer and radio operator on Guadalcanal and Leyte.
Mr. Verva was honorably discharged on November 19, 1945, at USN Hospital, Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, 331.
