George H. Gay was born in Waco, Texas, on March 8,1917,  Ge attended schools in Dallas and Houston and college at Texas A & M.  Upon entering the U.S. Navy, he took basic training, at NAS Jacksonville Florida .  After receiving his wings, Ensign Hay was assigned to VT-8 (Torpedo Squadron Eight), which home ported at NAS Norfolk, Virginia.  He joined the newly formed Torpedo Squadron 8 under Lieutenant Commander John Charles Waldron. He and his unit were aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in April 1942 when Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle launched his raid on Tokyo. One week later, Hornet arrived at Pearl Harbor to join USS Enterprise as part of Task Force 16.  During the Battle of Midway, Gay was the first of his squadron to take off from Hornet on June 4, 1942. Gay's unit found the Japanese carrier fleet and launched an attack without any fighter plane support. Although he was wounded and his radioman/gunner, Robert K. Huntington, was dying, Gay completed his torpedo attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū, but Sōryū evaded his torpedo. Rather than banking away from the ship and presenting a larger target to its anti-aircraft gunners, Gay continued in toward the carrier at low altitude. He then brought his Devastator into a tight turn as he approached the carrier's island, and flew aft along the flight deck shortly thereafter crashing on the ocean.  Wounded, floating in the ocean  the situation looked bleak for Ensign Gay.  He could only cheer and holler as the American dive bombers attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers . George Gay was the only survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8.  He was rescued by a Navy Consolidated PBY Catalina after spending over 30 hours in the water. Gay was later flown to USS Vincennes (arriving June 28, 1942), before being transferred home.^[He later later became a Navy flight instructor.  He was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in combat at Midway and was later awarded an Air Medal.  Retiring from the Navy;  In civilian life he was a pilot for TWA for thirty years.   He  lived to the age of 77 passing away on October 21st, 1994.

This  book was published in 1986 and is in new condition.   It has been stored since purchased at a book signing in Tustin, Ca on May 18th, 1991.   Copy of that program and receipt of dinner and book included in purchase.  It does not have book jacket.  It is signed  by Lieutenant Commander George Gay.   It does not have a book jacket as was not sold that way.