George Raymond Eisele
Encyclopedia
George Raymond "Spud" Eisele (May 15, 1923 - November 12, 1942) was a United States Naval Reserve sailor who was killed in action on November 12, 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
. Eisele was manning a gunnery station aboard the USS. San Francisco
when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into his location. Eisele was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
for "courageously refusing to abandon his gun in the face of an on-rushing Japanese torpedo plane."
George Eisele was born in Gillette, Wyoming on May 15, 1923. His family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming in 1936, but George stayed behind to work on the ranches of Worth Lynde and Ray Gilstrap (his uncle on his mother's side). At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Spud was working at the Bear Claw Ranch and he soon left to enlist in the Naval Reserve on February 4, 1942.
Eisele caught a bus to Salt Lake City from Sheridan, Wyoming. From there he took a train to San Diego for boot camp. He had not finished his training when the Navy asked for volunteers to serve on the USS San Francisco. Eisele volunteered.
During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12, 1942, Eisele was manning a 21 mm machine gun near the aft conning station when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into the control aft of the ship. Eisele remained at his station firing on the plane the entire time. Eisele and 14 other men were killed. George Raymond Eisele was awarded a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross.
Nearly a year after his death, the Navy commissioned a new destroyer escort which was named the USS Eisele
in George's honor. Mattie Eisele, George's mother, christened the ship on June 29, 1943 at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
A large collection of photographs, documents, and objects relating to George Raymond Eisele and the USS Eisele are held at the Campbell County Rockpile Museum in Gillette, Wyoming.
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
. Eisele was manning a gunnery station aboard the USS. San Francisco
USS San Francisco (CA-38)
USS San Francisco , a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. She saw extensive action during World War II....
when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into his location. Eisele was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for "courageously refusing to abandon his gun in the face of an on-rushing Japanese torpedo plane."
George Eisele was born in Gillette, Wyoming on May 15, 1923. His family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming in 1936, but George stayed behind to work on the ranches of Worth Lynde and Ray Gilstrap (his uncle on his mother's side). At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Spud was working at the Bear Claw Ranch and he soon left to enlist in the Naval Reserve on February 4, 1942.
Eisele caught a bus to Salt Lake City from Sheridan, Wyoming. From there he took a train to San Diego for boot camp. He had not finished his training when the Navy asked for volunteers to serve on the USS San Francisco. Eisele volunteered.
During the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12, 1942, Eisele was manning a 21 mm machine gun near the aft conning station when a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into the control aft of the ship. Eisele remained at his station firing on the plane the entire time. Eisele and 14 other men were killed. George Raymond Eisele was awarded a Purple Heart and the Navy Cross.
Nearly a year after his death, the Navy commissioned a new destroyer escort which was named the USS Eisele
USS Eisele (DE-34)
USS Eisele was an short-hulldestroyer escort in the service of the United States Navy, named after Seaman Second Class George Raymond Eisele, killed in action on board the heavy cruiser on 12 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal....
in George's honor. Mattie Eisele, George's mother, christened the ship on June 29, 1943 at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
A large collection of photographs, documents, and objects relating to George Raymond Eisele and the USS Eisele are held at the Campbell County Rockpile Museum in Gillette, Wyoming.