USS Sterett Veteran Shares WWII Memories
By Orlando Ford, Public Affairs Specialist
When Steve LeFebvre, Air Force Veteran and USS Sterett historian, sat down with 100-year-old George Riccuito, a WWII Navy Veteran who served alongside his father on the USS Sterett, he wasn't just collecting oral history. He was honoring a shared legacy.
As the historian for the USS Sterett Association, Steve’s mission is personal. His father once served beside George in the turbulent waters of the Pacific, and this interview bridged generations of service.
George may be a century old, but he tells his stories with clarity, humor, and a spirit untouched by age-related illnesses like Parkinson’s. A reality he acknowledges with humble gratitude.
“Hell, I played golf well into my 90s,” George laughed. “Didn’t hit it far, but I had a short game. And I stayed away from marriage so I could afford the greens fees.”
Born in 1925, George joined the Navy at just 16. Altering his age and forging his father’s signature to enlist during wartime. “He wouldn’t sign, so I did it for him,” he said with a chuckle. “But when the Navy sent a letter home, I think he stuck his chest out.”
George served on the Sterett across both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, including pivotal operations near Guadalcanal and Okinawa. His ship was famously hit by a kamikaze, damaging the officer’s mess. A moment George remembers less for the danger and more for the opportunity it presented: “We raided their food. Best meal we had all week.”
When Steve showed him a photo of the damaged ship, George recognized it instantly. “Nobody died in that hit,” he recalled. “But I definitely ate better after.”
Steve’s father and George were part of the crew that saw the Sterett through heavy seas, kamikaze attacks, and a globe-spanning tour of duty. Their service helped lay the foundation for the legacy the Sterett Association preserves today.
Despite the grim realities of war, George spoke most often about the bonds of service, life after the Navy, and his years spent working in a Connecticut bakery and later for Uniroyal, making fireman’s boots and sneakers. Eventually, he retired to a golf course job, spending his mornings landscaping and his afternoons playing.
“Played with better people so I could get better,” he said. “Same thing in life, really.”
Today, George lives in Tucson, having relocated from snowy Connecticut to be closer to family. He spends his days recalling war stories, reliving old laughs, and remarkably still living without Parkinson’s or other major ailments.
Steve, now the custodian of these memories, left the interview with gratitude and admiration. “George is a national treasure,” he said. “And it’s our duty to make sure the stories of these sailors aren’t forgotten.”