Medal of Honor
March 8, 1943
near Porlock Harbor, New Guinea
- Rank at action
- Private
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Conflict
- World War II
- Unit or command
- 2d Battalion, 29th Quartermaster Regiment
The Citation
Sources ↓For extraordinary heroism in action on 8 March 1943. Private Watson was on board a ship which was attacked and hit by enemy bombers. When the ship was abandoned, Private Watson, instead of seeking to save himself, remained in the water assisting several soldiers who could not swim to reach the safety of the raft. This heroic action, which subsequently cost him his life, resulted in the saving of several of his comrades. Weakened by his exertions, he was dragged down by the suction of the sinking ship and was drowned. Private Watson's extraordinarily valorous actions, daring leadership, and self-sacrificing devotion to his fellow-man exemplify the finest traditions of military service.
Sources & record notes
General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.
- George Watson — Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-09-02
current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison
Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
- Award ID
- MOH-AW-003443
- Transcription status
- Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
- Last source check
- 2026-09-02
- Archive transcription SHA-256
- 81afab6bb8e1f99f9d4ce6bab2f0e446861afe7a665aa6f0cf3f6af19e0ab508
Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile comparison is documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.
Current official reference profile confirms identity and core action metadata; exact legacy citation text and checksum are retained; General Order comparison remains pending.