George Bradley

Lieutenant, U.S. Navy

Medal of Honor Recipient

Occupation of Veracruz

Lieutenant George Bradley (5 December 1881 - 9 June 1942) was a U.S. Navy officer who received the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during the Occupation of Veracruz.

George Bradley was born on 5 December 1881 in New York, NY. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy from Rhode Island in the early 1900s and served as a Chief Gunner's Mate on the USS Utah (BB-31) during the intervention at Veracruz, Mexico, in April 1914. When U.S. Naval Forces landed there and came under fire, Bradley led the ammunition party and special details. For his actions he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Chief Gunner's Mate, U.S. Navy

Citation: For meritorious service under fire on the occasion of the landing of the American naval forces at Vera Cruz in 1914. C.G. Bradley was then attached to the USS Utah, as a chief gunner's mate, and was in charge of the ammunition party and special details at Vera Cruz.

In 1922, he transferred to the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC. During his tour of duty there, Bradley was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge on 4 October 1923.

Bradley was promoted to the warrant officer rank of Gunner in February 1915. During the next two years he served in the armored cruiser USS Montana (ACR-13), which conducted training exercises along the East Coast during the first months of World War I. In the summer of 1917, after reporting to the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI, Bradley was temporarily promoted to Lieutenant. He reverted to Chief Gunner in August 1920 and was assigned to Destroyer Division 18, part of the Pacific Fleet. In February 1928, he reported for sea duty on the destroyer USS Doyen (DD-280) and later served on the USS Zane (DD-337).

Upon his retirement in October 1932, Bradley was again promoted to Lieutenant.

Death and Burial

Lieutenant George Bradley died on 9 June 1942. He is buried at St. Columbia's Cemetery in Middletown, RI.