Robert E. Galer
Brigadier General Robert Edward Galer (24 October 1913 – 27 June 2005) was a naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in aerial combat during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II.[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in commercial engineering in 1935, at which time he received an ROTC commission and began elimination flight training at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Seattle.In June 1936, he began his Aviation Cadet flight training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on 1 July 1936.Following the presentation of the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House on 24 March 1943, Major Galer was ordered to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, where he served as assistant operations officer.He again returned to the United States in June 1945 and reported to the Marine Barracks, Naval Air Training Base, Corpus Christi, Texas, in July as officer in charge of a cadet regiment.[1] According to the citation accompanying this medal, he "led a maximum effort strike of Marine attack aircraft against a heavily defended industrial area in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang."Gen. Galer's medals and decorations include: Citation: For conspicuous heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a marine fighter squadron in aerial combat with enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area.Leading his squadron repeatedly in daring and aggressive raids against Japanese aerial forces, vastly superior in numbers, Maj. Galer availed himself of every favorable attack opportunity, individually shooting down 11 enemy bomber and fighter aircraft over a period of 29 days.At the University of Washington in February 2006, a resolution recommending a memorial be erected to honor fighter ace and alumnus Pappy Boyington for his service during World War II was raised and defeated[4] during a meeting of the student senate.
Seattle, WashingtonDallas, TexasAustin, TexasUnited States of AmericaUnited States Marine CorpsBrigadier GeneralVMF-224Marine Aircraft Group 12World War IIBattle of GuadalcanalBattle of Iwo JimaBattle of PeleliuKorean WarMedal of HonorLegion of MeritDistinguished Flying CrossPurple HeartAir MedalLing-Temco-Voughtnaval aviatorUniversity of WashingtonNaval Air Station PensacolaFloridaBrigadeQuantico, VirginiaBasic SchoolPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaNew York Navy YardVirgin IslandsBourne FieldSt. ThomasNational Museum of Naval AviationNAS Pensacola2nd Marine Aircraft WingSan Diego, CaliforniaGrumman F3F-2USS Saratoga (CV-3)San Diego Aerospace MuseumHawaiiMarine Corps Air Station EwaVMF-211attacked Pearl HarborGuadalcanalCactus Air ForceFranklin D. RooseveltWhite HouseMarine Corps Air Station Miramarlieutenant colonel3rd Marine Aircraft WingPalau IslandsIwo JimaCorpus Christi, TexasArmed Forces Staff CollegeNorfolk, VirginiaMarine Corps Air Station Cherry PointNorth CarolinaNaval Air Station San DiegocolonelSouth Korea1st Marine Aircraft WingNorth KoreanPyongyangWonsanHO3S-1helicopterMarine Corps Air Station El ToroAir War CollegeMaxwell Air Force BaseMontgomery, AlabamaWashington, D.C.Department of the Navymaster's degree in engineering administrationGeorge Washington UniversityNaval Aviator BadgeCombat "V"5⁄16" Gold StarNavy and Marine Corps Commendation MedalNavy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation3⁄16" Bronze StarNavy Unit CommendationAmerican Defense Service MedalFleet ClaspAmerican Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalWorld War II Victory MedalNavy Occupation Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalKorean Service MedalRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit CitationUnited Nations Korea MedalRepublic of Korea War Service MedalPresident of the United StatesCongressfighterPappy BoyingtonMarine Corpsroll call voteRed SquareVeterans DayGreg BoyingtonDeming BronsonBruce CrandallRobert LeisyWilliam NakamuraArchie Van WinkleList of Medal of Honor recipientsLos Angeles TimesWayback Machinepublic domain materialUnited States Army Center of Military Historyflying acesRichard BongThomas McGuireDavid McCampbellGabby GabreskiGregory BoyingtonRobert S. JohnsonCharles H. MacDonaldGeorge PreddyJoe FossRobert M. HansonJohn C. MeyerCecil E. HarrisEugene A. ValenciaLance C. Wade