George Norton acquired the nickname “One Shot Norton” during the invasion of Okinawa. George was a gunner aboard the merchant ship SS Josiah Snelling and was credited with shooting down a Japanese Kamikaze plane. The shots he took in the Pacific were a far cry from the ones he took back in Kansas. They both shared the common thread of being taken in the name of survival though. The drought conditions of the Dust Bowl had killed the family’s cattle and George hunted the few rabbits around to provide meat for the family. Wanting to both serve and make for one less mouth at home to feed, he enlisted at age 17.
US Navy Sailor George Norton 1944
US Navy Veteran George Norton
George was on the Snelling as part of the Navy Armed Guard when a Kamikaze crashed into the ship, showering him with shrapnel. “The shrapnel was so bad that it felt like a thick swarm of bees surrounding me.”, said George. One piece hit
him in an eye, resulting in a Purple Heart.
The plane’s wreckage was cleared out and the ship limped back to San Francisco. They had sailed across the Pacific on an unstable powder keg, as a 500lb bomb from the plane was later discovered still wedged in its hold. George loved the Navy and made it a career. His 30-year career spanned the Korean, Cold and Vietnam wars and he rose to the rank of Master Chief. When you see One Shot’s veteran cap, it is so loaded down with medals that you wonder how this 98-year-old is able to hold his head up without a neck brace!
Brad Hoopes has a passionate project of preserving the stories of Veterans. You can visit: youtube.com/@rememberandhonorstories to view George’s and other veterans’ stories.