coast guard cutter munro death

He is the only person to have received the medal for actions performed during service in the Coast Guard. [5]:95–96, Following the Allied victory at Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo, Munro and Evans were among Coast Guard and Navy personnel who staffed Naval Operating Base (NOB) Cactus at Lunga Point on the northern coast of Guadalcanal. [33] The "Douglas Munro March", composed by Lewis J. Buckley, was debuted by the United States Coast Guard Band on September 26, 1982 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.[5]:144 In 2014, the Coast Guard Foundation established the Douglas Munro Scholarship Fund. [12][15]:323–324[16][17], By mid-1942, Hunter Liggett had been assigned to Transport Division 17, tasked with supporting the Guadalcanal Campaign. It references the mascots of. [23] Commander Dexter asked Munro and Evans if they would take charge of the mission, to which Munro answered, "Hell yes! New in 2021: Will you be getting orders to an Arctic base? Ethan W. Tucker, of Ludington, Michigan, was … [5]:6, In his youth Munro showed a high level of musical aptitude, mastering percussion, trumpet, and harmonica. An investigation is underway into the death of a Coast Guard member assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro who was found unresponsive and later declared dead Sunday morning in Dutch Harbor. Those charges capped a seven-month probe by Coast Guard Investigative Service agents and Alaskan authorities into the death of Seaman Ethan Kelch, 19, who was discovered unresponsive on … "[4]:4[23] As the boats under Munro's charge approached the recovery points, they came under heavy fire from Japanese forces at a ridge abandoned by the Marines. [13][d], Munro and Evans underwent recruit training at Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles. The dedication of the ship took place on April 15, 1972, at Munro's first homeport of Boston, Massachusetts. Coast Guard … [5]:42, On September 27, Lt. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Munro offloaded 20,000 pounds of uncut cocaine seized from known drug-transit zones of the Eastern Pacific Ocean worth approximately $338 million at … Coast Guard officers, attended by a guard of honor of the Washington State Patrol, lay a wreath at the Medal of Honor memorial in Olympia, Washington on Douglas Munro Memorial Day in 2009. The Coast Guard says having two ships with the same name doesn't often happen. The stay in Boston was not to last long, however, as the Munro shifted to a new homeport of Seattle, Washington, on August 29… [5]:6–7[c] James Munro and Fairey married in 1914 at Vancouver's Christ Church Cathedral; under U.S. naturalization laws at the time, Fairey automatically assumed American citizenship upon her marriage to Munro. [9] The citation reads: 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 Marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on September 27, 1942. Munro directed the other LCT to help extricate the grounded vessel as he maneuvered his own boat to shield the Marines from Japanese fire from the shore. In 1954, the City of Cle Elum expanded Munro's gravesite with the installation of two decommissioned Mk22 naval deck guns to either side of the tombstone. United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building, Delegate of the District of Columbia to the United States, List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II, Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, "Department of the Treasury Form 9546: Douglas Munro Official Service Record", "The Long Blue Line: Hanna – the service's forgotten Medal of Honor hero", Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History, "Parents Receive their Son's Congressional Medal", "It Happened Here: South Cle Elum Man Became First Coast Guardsman to Win Medal of Honor", "Dead Son a Coast Guard Hero, Mother to Serve with SPARS", "Cheerleading of the '20s: Epitome of Masculinity", "The United States Declares War on Japan", "Naval Operating Base "Cactus" and Coast Guard Operations in the Battle for Guadalcanal", "The Long Blue Line: The 'Gold Dust Twins' and the battle of Guadalcanal (Part 1)", "The Long Blue Line: The "Gold Dust Twins" and the battle of Guadalcanal (Part 2)", "First Offensive: The Marine Campaign for Guadalcanal", "Nonprofit in Dispute Over Marine's Medal of Honor Agrees in Principle to Hometown Display", "Coast Guard Honors Service's Only Medal of Honor Recipient", "Life-Size Artwork Honors a Sailor Who Was Larger Than Life", "Coast Guard Cutter Munro Commissioned in Honor of WWII Hero", "Coast Guard Honors Cle Elum Native With Newest Ship", "The Coast Guard's Medal of Honor Recipient", "Coast Guard Names D.C. Headquarters After Douglas Munro", "H.R. Edith Thrower Munro (née Fairey; April 16, 1895 – November 17, 1983) was a United States Coast Guard officer and homemaker. Munro was shot in the base of his skull and lost consciousness. With the Marines in danger of being overrun, Monssen opened fire on the Japanese positions with her 5-inch (127 mm) caliber guns, managing to clear a narrow corridor to the beach. [4]:2 Munro was baptized at the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in South Cle Elum. [53], As well as the Medal of Honor, Munro was awarded the Purple Heart, the Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with one battle star), and the World War II Victory Medal. In Unalaska, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the death of a crew member of the Cutter Douglas Munro. Investigators probing mysterious death of Coast Guard seaman in Alaska, The Biggest Military and Defense Stories of 2020 - Defense News Weekly, 12.27.20, A fatal parachute accident, new squad weapons, and jetpack assault teams? [b] Munro's mother, Edith Fairey (1895–1983), was born in Liverpool, England, and—in childhood—relocated with her family to Canada. Though the initial extraction was successful, one of the LCTs became grounded on a sandbar. Updated 2/4/19. It was commissioned in 2017 with Julie Sheehan—Munro's great-niece—serving as the ship's sponsor. (Coast Guard) A U.S. Coast Guard member was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter and … According to Evans, his dying words were, "Did they get off? [4]:5[45][e] Cooley was cremated and his ashes interred at the Douglas Munro Burial Site with the remains of the Munro family. [5]:136, Three United States warships have been named after Munro: the destroyer escort USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422), and the cutters USCGC Douglas Munro (WHEC-724) and USCGC Munro (WMSL-755). Seaman Ethan W. Tucker, 19, is charged in the beating death of Seaman Ethan Kelch, who was 19. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered Marines, Munro, under constant risk of his life, daringly led five of his small craft toward the shore. The entire site has since been added to the Washington Heritage Register as the Douglas Munro Burial Site. But it does ensure the name Munro will continuously remain as part of the Coast Guard fleet. Ethan Kelch, 19, was reported missing on the night of Saturday, Jan. 26, according to Lt. Brian Dykens of Coast Guard Public Affairs. 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. They were then assigned to the Treasury-class cutter USCGC Spencer, serving aboard the vessel until 1941. [4]:5[5]:95, 97 Munro's parents were later buried on either side of their son's grave at Laurel Hill. Commanding Officer Captain Blake L. Novak Command Philosophy Mailing Address Commanding Officer USCGC MUNRO (WMSL 755) Coast Guard Island, Bldg 42 Alameda, CA … ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Michigan native in the U.S. Coast Guard has been charged with the murder of a fellow shipmate. A Coast Guardsman has been arrested and charged with the murder of a shipmate from the cutter Douglas Munro last January near Dutch Harbor, Alaska. [29] Munro also had a maternal cousin serving in the Royal Canadian Navy who was among those killed in the sinking of HMCS Guysborough when she was torpedoed by U-868 in 1945. [44] Upon his death in 1999, a lighted flagpole dedicated to Cooley was installed to allow the U.S. colors to be displayed continuously at Munro's grave without the need to be lowered at dusk. Coast Guard Cutter Munro Returns to Kodiak Following 2-Month-Long International Fisheries Enforcement Patrol September 17, 2020 Homeland Security Today The crew aboard Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro (WHEC 724) returned to homeport following a two-month-long Operation North Pacific Guard (NPG) patrol, focused on enforcing international fishery regulations, Monday, Sept. … [25], As of 2020, Munro is the only member of the U.S. Coast Guard to have received the Medal of Honor for service in the Coast Guard. [30], At the time of Munro's death, according to a shipmate, he had a girlfriend. JUNEAU, Alaska – A Coast Guard member assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro (WHEC-724) was found unresponsive and later declared deceased Sunday morning in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Coast Guard) While Cangemi spoke of the tragic, “sudden and traumatic” loss of a fellow Coast Guard member and ongoing concerns about the dead seaman’s grieving loved ones, he urged readers to remember that Tucker is considered innocent until proven guilty by a panel of his peers. Munro used a .30 caliber machine gun aboard his landing craft to direct suppressing fire against the Japanese positions as the other boats recovered the American forces. Military prosecutors have charged Seaman Ethan W. Tucker, 19, with 11 specifications tied to the slaying, including murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, maiming, obstructing justice, providing a false official statement and underage drinking. Colonel Chesty Puller ordered three companies of Marines to attack the flank of Japanese positions on the west side of the Matanikau River. They say Tucker also lied about how he hurt his hand, an injury he claimed had been caused by “punching a steel bulkhead" after hearing Kelch had died, prosecutors wrote. Munro and Evans volunteered for reassignment to the attack transport USS Hunter Liggett, which was being outfitted and manned by the Coast Guard as part of preparations for War Plan Orange. [49], The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Cle Elum is named the Douglas Munro-Robert H. Brooks VFW Post 1373, and the Anacostia chapter of the Surface Navy Association is officially named the Douglas Munro Chapter. The United States Flag Code permits a flag to be flown after sunset "if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness". The visit by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) crew to Fiji is the first time a shiprider from that nation boarded a Coast Guard vessel. http://CoastGuardNews.com The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Munro, a 418-Foot National Security Cutter, moors at pier 91 in Seattle, March 29, 2017. For several decades, Munro's boyhood friend Mike Cooley raised and lowered the United States flag at Munro's gravesite, daily walking three miles from his home to the cemetery. But prosecutors accuse Tucker of intentionally misleading them about where to hunt for Kelch because he “had reason to believe that there were or would be criminal proceedings pending," the court filings state. According to Cooley's daughter, for over 30 years he never missed a day, even when he was ill with pneumonia. [52], Several members of Munro's extended family have been named Douglas as a familial tribute to Munro. Don't miss the top Navy stories, delivered each afternoon. [35], Several monuments have also been erected to Munro, including a bronze statue at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May (Douglas Munro by Carey Boone Nelson), a larger-than-life bust at the Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters (Douglas Munro by John Tuomisto-Bell and Tyson Snow), a black marble pillar etched with Munro's visage at the Coast Guard Academy, a memorial marker at the Point Cruz Yacht Club in Honiara in the Solomon Islands, and a monument in Crystal River, Florida. They were soon joined by Unalaska police, fire and emergency medical services personnel. The Coast Guard Cutter Munro moored at the docks of Base Kodiak, Alaska, Jan. 27, 2015. "He certainly presents no risk of flight or misconduct, as even Coast Guard leadership recognized by having him work in base security throughout the investigation into this tragedy.”. The downed aircrew was ultimately found and rescued by a flying boat. [23], Munro was buried on September 28, 1942, the day after his death, on Guadalcanal. [5]:59 Four days later, Coast Guard officers arrived at the home of Munro's parents in South Cle Elum to inform them of his death. According to a Coast Guard charge sheet, Tucker hit Kelch in the head and left him in the water around Amaknak Island, part of … Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) was a United States Coast Guardsman who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for an act of "extraordinary heroism" during World War II. SUVA, Fiji — Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Fijian navy spoke at a press conference, Friday, celebrating the first Fijian shiprider to ride on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. USCGC Munro (WMSL-755) is the sixth Legend-class cutter of the United States Coast Guard. As of 2018, USCGC Munro (WMSL-755) is in active Coast Guard service. [5]:16, Munro underwent entrance processing in Seattle, where he met and became friends with Ray Evans. - The Briefing 10.22.20, Nimitz providing operational and close-air support by Somali coast as US troops are relocated, New in 2021: Navy physical fitness assessments will start up again. Coast Guard seaman from Ludington headed to court martial over Alaska death The lawyer said he is confident his client will be vindicated. [48], In 1989 the Coast Guard commissioned the painting Douglas A. Munro Covers the Withdrawal of the 7th Marines at Guadalcanal from Bernard D'Andrea. Tucker allegedly said he injured his hand when he punched a steel … [50][51] The Douglas A. Munro Award, established in 1971 and sponsored by the Navy League of the United States, is annually presented to an enlisted Coast Guardsman "who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and professional competence to the extent of their rank and rate". [5]:41 In preparation for the planned amphibious operations, Navy personnel began training as small boat handlers under Coast Guard tutelage; owing to the shortage of coxswains, Munro and Evans volunteered to join the training. Authorities on Wednesday arrested a Bay Area-based Coast Guard member and shipped him south to San Diego, where he’ll await court-martial proceedings for allegedly killing a fellow seaman in Alaska. [18]:14[19] Established on August 9 by Coast Guard Commander Dwight Dexter, NOB Cactus is the only known instance of a naval operating base primarily led by Coast Guard personnel. [4]:4 Preceded by a beach-clearing ship-to-shore bombardment from the destroyer USS Monssen, the amphibious force landed and began moving inland towards its objective. Authorities are awaiting an autopsy report from the State Medical Examiner Office. Today, the crew of CGC MUNRO gathered on the flight deck to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the death of Signalman 1st Class Douglas A. Munro. Investigators suspect that on Jan. 26 Tucker strangled Kelch and punched his head — causing bleeding that swelled between the skull and scalp — before placing his body in the water and leaving him to die, according to charge sheets provided to Navy Times. [1][9], U.S. Coast Guard Medal of Honor recipient, Cooley flagpole at the Douglas Munro Burial Site, During World War II, James Munro served as a captain in the, Edith Fairey's father, William Joseph Thrower Fairey, served in the, The term "gold dust twins" is a sobriquet generally meaning "a pair of inseparable and indefatigable workers". The Coast Guard Cutter Munro moored at the docks of Base Kodiak, Alaska, Jan. 27, 2015. Patrol ship - High Endurance Cutter of United States Coast Guard (USCG). Kelch was found dead Jan. 27 along the shore of an island when their ship, the cutter Douglas Munro, was docked in nearby Dutch Harbor. Hamilton-class cutter,USCGC MUNRO (WHEC 724). [34] The act to designate the Coast Guard headquarters in tribute to Munro was introduced by Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Delegate of the District of Columbia to the United States, and co-sponsored by United States Congressmen Duncan Hunter, John Garamendi, and Lou Barletta. [5]:10[11], In 1939, with the threat of war growing, Munro decided to withdraw from college and enlist in the military. [41], In Cle Elum, Washington, Munro is commemorated by Douglas Munro Boulevard. With Japanese troops moving against the beach, Munro piloted his boat closer to shore to act as a shield. He gallantly gave up his life in defense of his country. The Coast Guard Cutter Munro moored at the docks of Base Kodiak, Alaska, in 2015. Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) was a United States Coast Guardsman who was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor for an act of "extraordinary heroism" during World War II. 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