THE AWARD OF THE U.8. NAVY TO A COAST GUARD SIGNALMAN

As MOST STUDENTS OF U,S, AWARDS KNOW~ THE COAST GUARD 46 ELIGIBLE

FOR U,~= NAVY DECORATIONS WHEN ASSIGNED TO THE NAVY IN WARTIME. HOWEVER~

THERE HAS BEEN ONLY ONE COAST GUARD RECIPIENT OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR~ AND

ON THE FOLLOWING FOUR PAGES WE ARE PRESENTING THREE OFFICIAL COAST GUARD

PHOTOS ILLUSTRATING THE ACTUAL MEDAL ALONG WITH THE EXHIBIT WHERE THE

MEDAL NOW REPOSES, WE THANK THE U,S, COAST GUARD AND MEMBER ROBERT ROOF

FOR THE USE OF THE PHOTOS AND THE ACCOMPANYING INFORMATION,

THIS MEDAL WAS PRESENTED TO MR, AND MRS, JAMES MUNRO~ OF CLE ELUMs

WASHINGTON (PARENTS OF THE DECEASED RECIPIENT) AT A QUIET CEREMONY IN

THE ON THURSDAY MAY 27, 194~ BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. THE

CITATION READS AS FOLLOWS=

It FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY IN ACTION A-

BOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AS OFFICER-IN-CHARGE OF A GROUP OF HIS-

GINS SOATS~ ENGAGED IN THE EVACUATION OF A BATTALLION OF~ARINE6 TRAPPED

BY ENEMY JAPANESE FORCES AT ~ GUADALOANAL~ ON SEPTEMBER 27~

1942, AFTER MAKING PRELIMINARY PLANS FOR EVACUATION OF NEARLY .~=00 BELEAG-

UERED ~RINES~ MUNRO~ UNDER CONSTANT RISK OF HIS LIFE~ DARINGLY LED FIVE

OF HIS SMALL CRAFT TOWARD SHORE, As HE CLOSED THE BEACH~ HE SIGNALLED THE

OTHERS TO LAND~ AND THEN tN ORDER TO DRAW THE ENEMYIS FIRE AND PROTECT

THE HEAVILY LOADED BOATS~ HE VALIANTLY PLACED HI8 CRAFT WITH ITS TWO

SMALL GUNS AS A SHIELD BETWEEN THE BEACHHEAD AND THE JAPANESE, WHEN THE

PERILOUS TASK OF EVACUATION WAS NEARLY COMPLETEDj MUNRO WAS KILLED BY

ENEMY FIRE~ BUT HIS CREWj TWO OF WHOM WERE WOUNOED~ CARRIED ON UNTIL THE

LAST BOAT HAD LOADED AND CLEARED THE BEACH. BY HIS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP~

EXPERT PLANNING~ AND DAUNTLESS DEVOTION TO DUTYs HE AND HIS COURAGEOUS

COMRADES UNDOUBTEDLY SAVED THE LIVE6 OF MANY WHO OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE PER-

ISHED, HE GALLANTLY GAVE UP HIS LIFE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.~

WHILE FATALLY WOUNDED~ HE REMAINED CONSCIOUS SUFFICIENTLY LONG ENOUGH

TO ONLY SAY FOUR WORDS= nDID THEY GET OFF~;1 HE DIED~ THEREFORE~ WITH THE

REALIZATION THAT HIS MISSION HAD SUCCEEDED AND HIS FINAL ASSIGNMENT HAD

BEEN CARRIED OUT. HIS EFFORTS ARE CREDITED WITH SAVING OVER ~00 LIVES OF

HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.

DOUGLAS ALBERT MUNRO WAS BORN IN ~ CANADA~ OF AMERICAN PAR--

ENTS~ ON OCTOBER 11~ 1919~ BUT SPENT HIS ENTIRE LIFE PREVIOUS TO HIS EN-

LISTMENT IN ~OUTH CLE ELUM~ ° HE ENLISTED IN THE COAST GUARD IN

1939~ AND HAD AN OUTSTANDING RECORD AS AN ENLISTED MAN AND WAS PROMOTED RAPIDLY THROUGH THE VARIOUS RATINGS TO A 81GNALMAN~ 1ST CLASS.

LIBRARY NOTES - THE FOLLOWING BOOK AND BOOKLETS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE

LIBRARY AND MAY BE BORROWED FROM THE LIBRARIAN UNDER THE USUAL CONDITIONS.

WRITE TO WALTER P, HUBER~ 1742 W, HENDERSON AVE,~ CHICAGO 1~, {LLINOIS,

nBRITISH BATTLES AND MEDALBII~ BY ~.J, L.L, GORDON HAS BEEN DONATED

BY THE AUTHORs WITH AN INSCRIPTION TO THE ~OCIETY, THIS THE LATEST 3RD

EDITION JUST RELEASED~ OF THIS FAMOUS BOOK.

#PHILIPPINE NUMISMATIC MONOGRAPHS -- NO, 1~n HAS BEEN DONATED BY

PASLO I. DE JESUS, IN AN ARTICLE I~RARE PHILIPPINE NUMISMATIC ~PECIMENS

OF GENERAL {NTEREST~ (FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR, DE JEBUS)~ ARE THE FOL-

LOWING ITEMS OF INTEREST IN THE AWARDS FIELD= 1) A SILVER MEDAL AWARDED

FOR VALOR BY THE SOCIEDAD ECONOMICA DE FILIPINAS~ STRUCK IN 1~2~ DURING

THE REIGN OF FERDINAND Vll~ 2) A SILVER MEDAL AWARDED FOR INDUSTRY BY THE PROVINCE OF BATANGAS IN 1~7., AND ~) A SILVER MEDAL AWARDED FOR CIVIL

MERIT DURING THE ~PANIBH REGIME~ WITH THE LEGEND ~FILIFINASII, THESE

PIECES ALL HAVE LOOPS FOR WEAR ANO ARE ILLUSTRATED.

#HERALDISK TIDSBKRIFT# NR, 4 OF OCTOBER 1961 OF THE SOCIETAS HERAL- DICA SCANDINAVICA WAS DONATED BY LEIF PAHLSSON, ON PAGE 171-172 IS nARvID

~ERGHMAN IN MEMORIAMn~ WELL KNOWN AUTHOR OF BOOK ON ORDERS AND DECORATIONS

OF ~CANDANAVtA. ON PAGE 1~2 IS A DRAWING AND SHORT ARTICLE ON THE WAR

CROSS OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF THE ~WORD OF~WEDEN,

8