AFRH-G Veteran Highlight – Frank Andrew George
By Lori Kerns, AFRH-G Librarian

Frank George was born in 1937 and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  His father was an Italian immigrant who worked as a salesman.  Frank, an only child, was raised by his father and grandmother.  Growing up, he enjoyed playing football and basketball.  He also ran cross country throughout high school. 

             After graduating high school, Frank held different jobs to help him get by.  When he was 21, he realized that he had never made any plans for his future.  One beautiful day, he was in downtown Bridgeport when he made the snap decision to join the military.  He went straight over to the Navy recruitment office and enlisted.  His father was very proud of his decision.

He was sent to Great Lakes Recruit Training Center in Illinois for boot camp.  He went through more training in Norman, Oklahoma before he received orders for Guantanamo Bay Cuba where he began working in the mess hall.  Before too long he was transferred to work with the crash crew.  He stayed with the crew for over two years before his chief asked if he wanted to become the duty driver for the base.  He worked this assignment until he was finally sent out to sea to work on an aircraft carrier.  On the carrier, he trained to work for the weather service by taking observations.  He stayed for a couple of years and decided to leave the Navy once his enlistment was up.

Frank went back home and began working odd jobs.  After some encouragement from his father, he decided to reenlist after being out for six years.  He was sent back to the work in weather service aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt.  He stayed for two years before deciding to leave the Navy again and head back to civilian life.  He was only out for 18 months before realizing he was ready to go back to sea.  Back in the Navy for the third and final time, he was sent to work in weather service again on the USS Midway.  He boarded in June of 1972 for the Philippines and left in February 1973 with orders for Alameda, California.  His new shore duty took him to the Naval Weather Service Facility where he stayed for five months before finally leaving his Navy career behind him.

Frank went back home to Bridgeport to begin working again.  He worked different jobs, including a stint with the USPS until completely retiring in 1999.  In 2014, he made the decision to move into the VA in White City, Oregon.  He stayed for ten months until he made the move to AFRH-W.  He enjoyed living there and volunteering in the bowling alley and Chaplain’s office.  After living in D.C. for almost three years, he decided to leave the big city hustle and bustle and relocate to AFRH-G.  He has been on the Gulf Coast for only a few months but has already settled in by volunteering in the library and singing karaoke in the evenings.  AFRH-G would like to welcome Frank as one of its newest residents.