George Sirian

George Sirian was a Greek war orphan brought into the United States aboard the USS160Constitution . He served in the United States Navy with distinction for over fifty years, first as an ordinary seaman, and later as a master gunner and warrant officer.

Sirian was born in 1818 on the Greek island of Psara. During the Greek War of Independence, at age six, he witnessed the slaughter of his native Greek countrymen at the hands of Ottoman Turks. His mother was able to rescue him by placing him on a boat which was heading out to sea, escaping the onslaught of Ottoman troops, before she was killed herself.

Source: Wikipedia