George Koch - Merchant Marines 1944-45

George Koch enlisted in the Merchant Marines in 1944 when he was 16 years old. Little did he know that barely a year of service would send him into the Arctic Ocean on route to the Soviet Union port of Murmansk in 1944, fighting off attacks from Nazi submarines, battleships and planes, all while withstanding the freezing Arctic weather ,as part of a convoy to support Russian allies.

He is among the few remaining American Merchant Mariners who recently were honored by the Russian Federation with the Medal of Ushakov, which is a Russian military award.

George would go on to become a Naval gunner when he switched over from the Merchant Marines to the Navy in 1945, serving abord the USS Oregon City. Prior to joining the Navy, George began dating a young woman named Jean Cook who would later become his wife. George joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and had two sons and is now a proud grandparent. The naval tradition lives on in his family as both his son Jack and his grandson Jason served in the Navy during Vietnam and Desert Storm, respectively.

For more information on the AMMV (American Merchant Marine Veterans) visit https://ammv.us/