George was born in 1917 in Oklahoma
He spent his childhood there, his schooling.
He leaves Enid and leaves for Greenwich village in New York City, where he meets Junie whom he affectionately calls "Betty Lou".
At the end of 1941, he worked as a commercial cartoonist, where he drew commercial comic book characters and advertisements.
George possesses an undeniable talent for drawing.
At the beginning of 1942, he joined the Army Air Corps as soon as the United States entered the war.
A unique destiny, after completing his ground training he left for the flying school at the Aviation Cadets at the Primary Flying School in Ocala, Florida. He will fly when he has never driven a car of his life!
He married in June 1942.
It joins the 362nd FG which was created February 11, 1943 and activated early March in Massachusetts at Westover Field.
He is a Lieutenant.
His first denomination to this group is Bombardment Group (dive) which means that the main mission is the dive bombardment, George finds himself from October on the base of Mitchell Field in New York.
George left with his group the United States for England on November 23, 1943 aboard the Queen Elizabeth. After six days of crossing he reached Scotland and was transferred by train to the station of the RAF of Wormingford 159, There he will perfect in the flight on the P-47 which are delivered on 4 January 1944.
The missions begin with escorts of B-24 from the 8th Air Force.
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In his free time between the missions George will draw hundreds of sketches on the life around him daily, pilots, planes, barracks, scenes of life on the aerodrome ...
Then, on Wednesday, March 22nd, at about 4:00 pm George returns from his mission, after having parked his plane, he goes to his barracks to shave before the debriefing and there he sees a courier delivering him a yellow envelope, anxious he tears it and There is wonderful news waiting for him: his wife has just given birth, George is a daddy of a little boy, his name will be Damon! He finds it hard to contain his emotion ....
Nicknamed "Papy" by his comrades because George is already advanced in age compared to them is filled.
That same evening he wrote a magnificent letter to his wife accompanied by a drawing of his magic pencil shot.
George will continue his missions, his drawings and the Nose Art he carries out himself on most of the group's planes.
Of an incomparable kindness and available he was an exceptional comrade. He will also modify his Nose Art in relation to his life as a draftsman and the happy event he experienced in March: a parrot smoking a pipe (he smoked a pipe) holding a brush and This entry: "Damon's Demon" .
In April the group is transferred to the headquarters AAF-412 headquarters, which is located in the south of London in order to be closer to the landing beaches because now George knows that the big day is approaching, this day prepared by the forces For weeks.
RAF Headcorn USAAF Station AAF-412
On June 2, armed with bombs, an important mission on railway lines took place, and then the days that will precede that moment will be devoted to missions of escort of bombers.
Formation de vol
On the evening of the 5th a briefing is organized, the date and the place of disembarkation is revealed to them.
On this day for George and his group, the mission that will be entrusted to them is to escort the C-47s who are going to drop the parachutists and gliders of the 82 and a hundred and fifty- Airborne Division.
The mission for the chasseurs was successful, and all the apparatus returned to the base. The day of June 6 was named by the pilots of the group the "Nursery Day".
On 7 June, George and his group will conduct glider refueling missions and then bombing missions on railway lines, but the first losses are also taking place today.
On 8 June, reconnaissance missions.
June 9th and 10th were forced days of rest due to time.
From 11 June onwards, as the ground troops advanced, missions were grateful for future bombing operations, convoy attacks in order to weaken the enemy.
The success of missions alternated with the losses of hunters also, it became the daily lot of the life of these pilots.
On 18th and 20th, the group changed its mission and found itself patrolling over Utah and Omaha.
On June 21st for the Group it was a day of vacation, they were in charge of escorting B-17s on Berlin.
On June 22, missions on Cherbourg to support the advance of the troops.
On the 25th and 26th, missions of escorts of bombers and destructions of deposits.
On June 27, George is preparing for his 67th mission, a reconnaissance on Granville.
It is 17:00, while it is above the commune of Villers-Bocage it is touched by the Flak. The P-47 crashes 800m west of the town at the place called Le Moulin. George does not have time to evacuate and the hunter strikes the ground and dislocates. George died and the Germans close to the place buried the body in the ditch along the road.
Taking him for an English pilot, the Germans wrapped the pilot's body in his parachute to bury him in a ditch, a few meters from the wreckage of the plane.
They put down a sign that read "Here is an English airman."
P-47 piece found 51 years later
The French then consolidated this tomb.
A stela was also erected in his memory at the place called The Black Virgin near the places of the drama.
Stele in honor of George RAREY in Villers-Bocage