George H . Gay , Jr . Ensign ( later Lieutenant Commander ) George Henry Gay Jr . ( March 8 , 1917 – October 21 , 1994 ) was a TBD Devastator pilot in United States Navy Torpedo Squadron 8 operating from the USS " Hornet " ( CV - 8 ) in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II . Of the 30 VT - 8 aircrew from " Hornet " that participated in the pivotal Battle of Midway , Ensign Gay was the sole survivor . Early years . George Henry Gay , Jr . was born on March 8 , 1917 in Waco , Texas . He attended school in both Austin and Houston before enrolling at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas ( now Texas A & M University ) . World War II . Like millions of Americans at the time , Gay chose to sign up for the coming war , leaving Texas A & M University . He tried to join the Army Air Corps as a pilot but was rejected for medical reasons . He then tried the United States Navy in early 1941 . Gay completed flight training and was commissioned as an Ensign in Sept 1941 . He joined the newly formed Torpedo Squadron 8 under Lieutenant Commander John Charles Waldron . He and his unit were aboard the " USS Hornet " in April 1942 when Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle launched his raid on Tokyo . One week later , the " Hornet " arrived at Pearl Harbor to join the " USS Enterprise " as part of Task Force 16 during the Battle of Midway . 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 Japan ese carrier fleet and launched an attack without any fighter plane support . Although he was wounded and his radioman / gunner was dying , Gay completed his torpedo attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier " Kaga " , but the " Kaga " 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 ' s length , thus evading anti - aircraft fire . He later stated he had a " split second " thought of crashing into the Japanese aircraft he saw being serviced on the flight deck . His plane still in relatively good condition , he decided to make for the " Hornet " after clearing the Japanese carrier . However , five A6M " Zero " s brought his aircraft down in a hail of machine gun and cannon fire , killing his rear gunner . Exiting his aircraft , and floating in the ocean , he hid under his seat cushion to avoid Japanese strafing attacks and witnessed the subsequent dive bombing attacks and sinking of three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers present . After dark , Gay felt it was safe to inflate his life raft . He was rescued by a Navy PBY after spending over 30 hours in the water . Gay was later flown to the USS " Vincennes " ( arriving June 28 , 1942 ) , before being transferred home . Of the squadron ' s thirty pilots and radiomen , Gay was the only survivor . Gay met with Admiral Nimitz and confirmed the destruction of three Japanese carriers that he had witnessed - the " Akagi " , " Kaga " and " Soryu " . He was featured in the 31 August 1942 issue of Life Magazine . Following Midway , Gay took part in the Guadalcanal Campaign with another squadron , and he later became a Navy flight instructor . He was awarded the Navy Cross , Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation for his actions in combat at Midway . He was also later awarded the Air Medal . Later years . After World War II , Gay spent over 30 years as a pilot for Trans - World Airlines . He often lectured on his Midway experiences , and authored the book " Sole Survivor " . In 1975 , he served as a consultant on the set for the movie " Midway " , in which Kevin Dobson played Gay . He attended the decommissioning ceremony of the on April 11 , 1992 . On October 21 , 1994 , Gay died of a heart attack at a hospital in Marietta , Georgia . Following his death , Gay was cremated and his ashes were spread over the Pacific in the same place that his squadron launched its ill - fated attack .