THE AWARD OF THE U.8. NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR 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 WHITE HOUSE 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 POINT CRUZ~ 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 VANCOUVER~ CANADA~ OF AMERICAN PAR-- ENTS~ ON OCTOBER 11~ 1919~ BUT SPENT HIS ENTIRE LIFE PREVIOUS TO HIS EN- LISTMENT IN ~OUTH CLE ELUM~ WASHINGTON° 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 .