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~enemy’s) key defense" of St. George’s. The Bronze Stars for the three captains’ Beirut efforts describe establishment of innovative defensive positions that decreased casualties and "aggressive and well controlled" tactics. Maj. Steven D. Anderson also received two medals, the Bronze Star for Grenada and a Navy Commendation Medal for subsequent actions in Beirut. He was operations officer for BLT 2/8 during both landings. On Grenada, Anderson was cited for his assault plan that took Pearls Airfield and the rapid development of another battle plan when the Marines unexpectedly were told to seize the Gran Mal Bay area. For Beirut he was commended for "clear, concise operational orders ... instrumental in the success of the BLT operations." Maj. Joseph J. Streitz also was decorated for both Grenada and Beirut, but in the same Bronze Star citation. He was BLT 2/8’s executive officer, who "found himself in command of a task force comprising almost one-third of the BLT’s combat power" on Grenada. He also was the senior commander ashore in the northeastern half of the island. In Beirut, he provided a link between forces ashore and afloat, then supervised the Marines’ withdrawal from Lebanon, according to his citation. - Navy Times, 7 January 1985 (contributed by Charles A. "Skip" P~-~f~,~MSA ~3313). HISTORIC MEDALS PRESENTED TO ~AR MUSEUM The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, recently acquired the war medals of Wing Commander William George Barker, VC, DSO, MC, one of Cana- da’s most distinguished pilots of the First World War. The important group of medals was presented by his two brothers Orval and Cecil Barker. They are being displayed with other items related to Wing Commander Barker’s remarkable career - his wartime uniform and the fuselage of the Sop~ S=~p~ that he flew 66 years ago. Medals belobging to William George Barker include: (left to right) Victoria Cross, Dis- tin#uish#~ S~vi~# Order and bar, Militao~ Cross and 2 bars, 19i4~ i 5 M~dail British War Medal, Victory Medal and Oak Leaf, Italian Medal first class, French Croix de GUerre and Sta~ and Italian Medal second class. 25 Commander Barker was born in Dauphin, Manitoba, in 1894. He served with the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, flying Sopwith Camels and Snipes in France and Italy. On October 27, 1918, he single-handedly engaged in combat with about 50 enemy aircraft, four of which he shot down. He was grave- ly wounded, crash-landed in the British lines, and survived the war. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this act. During the war, he is credited with destroying a total of 50 enemy machines. For his service he received the Distinguished Service Order (twice), the Military Cross (three times), Italy’s Silver Medal for Military Gallantry and the French Croix de Guerre. Com- mander Barker served with the post-war Royal Canadian Air Force until 1926. He died in 1930. - Canada Weekly, 9 January 1985 (contributed by Dan Farek, OMSA ~-~-.-- DECORATED FIGHTER PILOT DIES OF CANCER AT 63 Montreal (CP) - George Keefer, described as Canada’s most decorated fighter pilot in the Second World War, died Tuesday of cancer after a brief illness. He was 63. Born in New York, Keefer left Yale University and became a Canadian citizen on joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. He took his basic training in Toronto that year and in 1941 was sent overseas. He served in Africa, the Middle East and Britain. One of Keefer’s daughters, Anne Long of Toronto, said her father was based for some time in Malta and flew Spitfires over the North African desert in the battle against German Gen. Erwin Rommel. Long said the aviation history text Wing Commanders of Canada calls Keefer "a leader of the highest order and a cool and fearless fighter." She said the book, written by George Brown and Michel Lavigne, calls her father the most decorated Canadian fighter pilot of the war. Keefer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar; the Distinguished Service Order and bar; the French Croix de guerre; and the Netherlands Flying Cross. The citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross noted Keefer’s determination, gallantry and skill. He had numerous battles and narrow escapes while with the air force. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was strafing a German road con- voy when an ammunition truck exploded. His plane was hit and for- ced down but he landed behind Allied lines and managed to hitch a ride back to his unit. In one sweep over the English Channel, his plane was severely dama- ged and he had to bail out, landing within 1 1/2 kilometres of the French coast. He spent six hours in the water struggling back toward England until a British sea-plane finally came along and picked him up. Among other feats was the April 1948 destruction of ii enemy planes preparing to take off. 26 Keefer, retired from the air force in 1947, was associated for some time after the war with Canadair and then ran his own plastics company in Granby, Que., which manufactured aircraft parts. He is survived by his wife Katherine Alexakis, four daughters and six grandchildren. - Winnepe~ Free Press, January I0, 1988 (con- tributed by John Zabarylo, OMSA---~7~. HIGHEST BRAVERY AWARD The Cross of Valour, Canada’s highest civilian award for bravery was presented to Ren~ Jalbert, the sergeant-at-arms at the Quebec National Assembly, by Governor General Jeanne Sauv~. Mr. Jalbert, a veteran of the Second World War and the Korean War, received his award for subduing a gunman who killed three people and wounded 13 others with a hail of machine-gun bullets in the Quebec National Assembly. Entering a room where the man had taken refuge, Mr. Jalbert first convinced him that he should let several employees leave and then he spent four hours convincing the man to surrender. Nine other people were honored at the ceremony as recipients of the Star of Courage and another 19 were awarded the Medal of Bravery. Since the awards were established 12 years ago, 835 have been pre- sented. - Canada Weekly, 16 January 1985 (contributed by Dan Farek, OMSA #1880~. HEROIC BROTHER BECOMES HONORARY BOY SCOUT A 13-year-old Nevada boy who long wanted to be a Boy Scout but lived too far away from any troop has received scouting’s highest award for saving his brothers from the fire that badly burned him. William Holsclaw became only the eighth Boy Scout in history to receive the Carnegie Medal of Honor for Life Saving at a ceremony yesterday in Norwalk, Calif. A year ago, fire erupted in the Holsclaw mobile home at Jean, Nev., and young Holsclaw, his own clothing ablaze, handed both his younger brothers out a window to his waiting father before saving himself. His brothers, now 4 and 5, had only minor injuries, but William suffered second- and~third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body and still must wear a pressurized body suit to protect his slowly healing skin. The Holsclaws, who now live in Good Springs, Nev., 35 miles south- west of Las Vegas, have visited Los Angeles several times in the past year to participate in troop activities. - Courier-Post, Ii February 1985 (contributed by W. A. Wooding, OMS~ #3754). GURKHA VC HERO GOING HOME AFTER 28 YEARS’ SERVICE By Rodney Cowton, Defence Correspondent - The only holder of the Victoria Cross still serving in the British Army retires next month. He is Captain Rambahadur Limbu, aged 45, of the 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles. 27 .

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