Gary L. Williams

Douglas Munro was piloting a landing boat during the battles on Guadalcanal. In one incident the Marines were dropped off on a beach to flank the enemy. But, the Japanese were ready for them. They waiting until after they landed and the boats left and then opened up and began slaughtering the Marines. The boats were called back in to take the Marines off the beaches. Several boats didn't feel safe going in at all but Munro drove right in leading the other boats to follow. He filled his boat and on the way off the beach stopped when another boat ran aground on a reef. With machine gun fire lashing the water around them he steered his boat in between the other boat and the beach allowing the Marines to help push the stuck boat off the reef sheltered by the bulk of his boat. On the way out a bullet finally cut Munro down hitting him in the back of the neck. He died minutes later after his boat was safely out of range of the enemy living long enough to express satisfaction on getting the Marines to safety. It is estimated that because of his courageous action nearly 500 Marines lived.

The head Coast Guard officer wrote his report of the incident up. Unbeknownst to him his admin clerk sent a copy to General Chesty Puller. Puller wrote it up for the Medal of Honor and everyone agreed right up to FDR. Munro's body was returned home after the war. His parents had him buried in the little town in Washington he grew up in. A boat was named after him but as the years went by Munro was mostly forgotten by the Coast Guard. A footnote in their history books as the only Coast Guardsman to win the Medal of Honor.

This changed because of two incidents. One day the highest enlisted member of the Coast Guard (Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard) happened to sit down with a young Marine Corporal for lunch. The Marine enthusiastically told him about the story of a great Coast Guardsmen he learned about in training, Douglas Munro, and how the Marines hadn't forgotten what he did for them. Embarrassed the young Marine knew more about their highest award winner than he did, the Chief decided he needed to brush up on his history, and that young Coast Guard members should learn at least as much as Marines knew about their highest award winner in their training too.

The second reason Douglas Munro's story has rose to prominence again is because of a news story coming out of his home state. Munro had several friends he grew up with that also joined the service during WWII. One of them, Mike Cooley, came home after the war and went on with his life. Married, had children, worked a job, participated as an active member of the VFW and had a pretty normal life like anyone else. Except one thing, every day, rain, or shine, storms, snow, wind, notwithstanding, first thing in the morning, Mike walked 6 miles to the cemetery and raised a flag over his friend, Douglas Munro's grave. And every night, before dark, Mike walked sixe miles again to take the flag down. When the flag pole began to deteriorate Mike didn't have the resources to pay for a new one so he fixed it as best he could with rope and boards. In 1998 Mike called the Coast Guard District Office in Seattle and told them he was with the VFW and asked if there was any way the Coast Guard could purchase the light for Munro's grave so he wouldn't have to walk out there every day to raise and lower the flag, He told them he was 82 and he wasn't sure he could walk out there much longer. The Coast Guardsmen who answered the phone asked "How long have you been doing this?" Cooley replied: "Forty Years."

The story spread and eventually all the Chief's in the Coast Guard paid for a new flag pole and a light. And as the story became popular someone decided to write a book about Munro so he wouldn't be forgotten again. This is that book.

In fairness to the review process here, the book probably should have been edited a bit more. As others point out there are some factual errors (about history in general) and spots where extraneous information could have been removed.… (altro)