SEATTLE — The Greater Seattle Chapter of the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Association, along with several other organizations and dignitaries, will recognize the 70th anniversary of the death of Signalman 1st Class Douglas Albert Munro – the Coast Guard’s lone Medal of Honor recipient, during a memorial ceremony, Thursday, at 10 a.m., at Laurel Hill Memorial Park in Cle Elum, Wash.
Capt. Marc Lebeau, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Base Seattle will be the keynote speaker. Cmdr. Doug Sheehan, U.S. Coast Guard, retired, and nephew of Munro; Oregon state Rep. Patrick Sheehan, great-nephew of Munro; and Cmdr. Ray Evans, U.S. Coast Guard, retired, friend and shipmate of Munro, are scheduled to attend.
Munro received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Officer-in-Charge of a group of Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of nearly 500 Marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on September 27, 1942.
When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was killed by enemy fire, but his crew, two of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach.
Munro’s final words were “Did they get off?”
Additional distinguished guests scheduled to attend are the Honorable Charles Glondo, Mayor of the City of Cle Elum; the Honorable James DeVere, Mayor of the City of South Cle Elum; the Honorable Neal Lockett, Mayor of the City of Roslyn, Wash.; Capt. Mathew E. Miller, Chief of Staff of the 13th Coast Guard District; Cmdr. Jim Eidemiller and the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Douglas Munro Post 1373, located in Cle Elum; and members of the U.S. Marine’s Security Force Battalion at Naval Base Kitsap, Wash.
