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Bob Galer
Robert Galer was born on October 24th 1913 in Seattle, Washington. Robert Galer attended the University of Washington and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in commercial engineering in 1935, at which time he began elimination flight training at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Seattle. He went on to become an Aviation Cadet going to Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida for flight training. On 1st July 1936 Galer was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Mmarine Corps. Bob Galer was one of five USMC pilots to win the Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal. In May 1942, Galer assumed command of Marine Fighting Squadron 224 (VMF-224) and on August 30th, 1942 led the squadron to Guadalcanal as they became part of the Cactus Air Force. It was while in command of VMF-224 that Bob Galer would be credited with 11 confirmed victories and be awarded the Medal of Honor and a rare British DFC. Following the presentation of the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D Roosevelt at the White House on March 24, 1943, Maj. Bob Galer was ordered to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, to become Assistant Operations Officer. Shortly after advancement to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in November 1943, he was ordered to return to the Hawaiian Islands, where he became Chief of Staff, Marine Air, Hawaiian Area. In March 1952 Colonel Galer went to Korea, where he saw duty as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4 (Supply), of the 1ST marine Aircraft Wing until the following May. He became Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12), and, for extraordinary achievement on July 11, 1952 was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second DFC. Colonel Galer was also awarded the Legion of Merit wiith Combat 'V' for his service in Korea. On August 5th, 1952, he was shot down behind enemy lines by anti-aircraft fire while leading a flight of 31 warplanes against targets near the North Korean port city of Wonsan. Colonel Galer was rescued by a helicopter flown by 1st Lt E.J. McCutcheon. Brigadier General Galer died in Dallas, Texas on June 27th, 2005.
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| Medal of Honor |
| Bob Galer - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Holding the Tide by Richard Taylor. On 7 August 1942, just eight months after the dramatic events at Pearl Harbor, the United States First Marine Division stormed ashore on the island of Guadalcanal. It was the opening gambit of the land war in the Pacific. The painting depicts Captain Joe Foss as he leads the F4F Wildcats of VMF-121 back to Henderson Field after a day of desperate fighting against the Japanese in the skies over the steaming jungles of Guadalcanal in November 1942 - it would be another three months before the island was finally secured during which time Joe Foss would achieve an astonishing 26 victories to become the first American pilot to equal WW1 Ace Eddie Rickenbackers score. |
Victory Flyover by Robert Taylor. The mass flyover, Toyko Bay, 1945, heralding the surrender on board USS Missouri. |
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