Valor Friday

Here’s Mason, and another of his articles of heroism in our armed forces. This one takes us back to World War II in the Pacific, and how the Coast Guard’s own saved the lives of Marines early in the war, at a place called Guadalcanal.

Mason

In the history of the Medal of Honor there have been 3,523 awards, including 19 men who received the medal twice. The Army claims 2,454 of those awards, the Navy 748, the Marine Corps 300, and the Air Force only 19 (though in defense of my branch, we can claim many from WWI and WWII when we were a part of the Army). When asked what the composition of the United States military is, these four branches will be the common answer. There is one, often forgotten, branch of the US military; the Coast Guard. They can lay claim to having a single recipient of the Medal of Honor and only 36 Coast Guardsmen have been awarded a service cross (the Navy Cross in all such cases).

This will actually be another two-person article. These two men, due to their inseparability in their personal and military lives after enlisting were known as the “Gold Dust Twins.” Today we speak of legendary Coasties Douglas Munro and Raymond Evans.

In September, 1939 when the war in Europe kicked off with Germany’s invasion of Poland, the 20 year old Munro and 18 year old Evans separately enlisted in the Coast Guard in Seattle. While going through entry processing the two met and became fast friends.

Historically, before WWII, if a Coast Guard cutter near a person’s place of enlistment needed crew, it was common for the fresh recruits to be immediately assigned to a sea post aboard the ship. Munro and Evans did just that with USCGC Spencer when she stopped in Seattle while enroute from Valdez, Alaska to New York City. They were only seven days into their recruit training at Port Angeles, WA. The two new “hetero life mates”, as one former co-worker of mine would call them, both struck for signalman.

The Coast Guard in 1941 was brought to a wartime footing and transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of the Navy. With this, the two men volunteered for duty aboard USS Hunter Liggett. Liggett was being outfitted with a Coast Guard crew by the Navy under War Plan Orange (the plan for the eventual war with Japan).

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Liggett and crew were part of Transport Division 17 and part of the invasion of Guadalcanal. The invasion kicked off on 7 August, 1942 and ended six months later this was the first major offensive against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater.

After the victory at Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo, the Gold Dust Twins were part of the Navy and Coast Guard contingent assigned ashore at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, a promontory at the north end of the island, a stone’s throw from the infamous Henderson Field. Naval Operating Base (NOB) Cactus at Lunga Point was commanded by a Coast Guard officer, the only known time this happened.

It was here that Munro and Evans built themselves a nice little hut out of scrap and packing boxes. I picture it something straight out of Hawkeye Pierce’s playbook on M.A.S.H. It was described as 10ft by 8ft by 6ft. A Marine master sergeant remarked that it was “Quite a swank establishment for Guadalcanal” and one of the few places with honest to God screened windows. He took advantage of their hospitality whenever he was not at the front, and I can’t blame him.

Having already volunteered for dangerous assignments like hunting for downed aircrew in contested waters, Munro and Evans volunteered to lead landing craft for an amphibious assault on the Matanikau River on September 27, 1942, in Guadalcanal. None other than Lt Col Chesty Puller had ordered three companies of Marines to attack the Japanese flanks here. Munro, a Signalman First Class already, was in charge of two landing craft tanks (LCT) and eight Higgins boats.

After landing their troops, Munro brought his boats back to Lunga Point. He evacuated the wounded while doing so. Among them was the mortally wounded coxswain Samuel Roberts, who had guided his Higgins boat into enemy fire as a distraction to facilitate the evacuation. Roberts received a posthumous Navy Cross for his efforts that day.

The destroyer Puller was observing the battle from had to pull away from shore to come to the assistance of an American cargo ship. During this time he lost contact with the Marines taking part in the river assault. It was two hours before they were able to return, by which time the Marines were surrounded and in danger of being wiped out. The ship opened fire with its guns to create a corridor for the Marines to retreat to the beach for evacuation.

At Lunga Point, the Coast Guard commander asked Munro and Evans if they’d take charge of the boats for the evacuation, to which Munro is to have said, “Hell yes!”

As the lightly armed Higgins boats came into shore they immediately came under heavy fire, including from a ridge the Marines had been forced to abandon. Munro manned a .30 cal machine gun on his boat to direct covering fire for the Marines. As the Japanese moved towards the shore, he steered his boat closer to shore to shield the retreating Marines.

Once loaded, the boats left the beach. On the way out one of the LCTs got stuck on a sandbar. Munro ordered the other LCT in to assist pulling it off, and then put his boat between the stranded boat and the Japanese, shielding the Marines aboard the stranded vessel. It was during this second use of his boat as a distraction and shield that he was struck by an enemy round and fell unconscious.

Evans, also a Signalman First Class, took charge. During the battle a Japanese round had come inches away from hitting his head. As all the men on his boat, to include his friend Munro, had either been killed or wounded, Evans steered the boat with one hand while working the machine gun with the other.

After the LCT was freed, while on the way back to Lunga Point, Munro briefly woke and, according to Evans, asked “Did they get off?” Evans later said, “seeing my affirmative nod, he smiled with that smile I knew and liked so well, and then he was gone.” He died knowing his sacrifice was not in vain and he had saved the Marines.

During war time as in peace, the Coast Guard is first and foremost about saving lives, a mission which Munro and Evans undertook with uncommon courage and determination. Through their heroic efforts that day they undoubtedly saved the lives of many Marines and sailors that otherwise would have perished under the Japanese onslaught.

As most truly heroic people are, Evans was exceedingly humble. Downplaying his bravery under fire he said, “We just did a job. We were asked to take them over there, and we were asked to bring them back off from there, and that’s what we did. That’s what the Coast Guard does. We do what we’re asked to do.”

Both men seemed to be well liked by their contemporaries. At least two comrades of theirs wrote letters to Munro’s parents (which have been preserved) to inform them of the manner in which their son died and how many lives were saved because of him. They both speak of the “kind, courteous, thoughtful” man that Munro was, and the eternal hole left in their lives after his loss.

Douglas Munro is the only member of the Coast Guard to ever receive the Medal of Honor. His best friend and close comrade Raymond Evans received the Navy Cross in May 1943, by which time he’d been promoted to chief signalman, for his actions at Guadalcanal.

Munro was initially interred on Guadalcanal in a grave marked with a wooden cross made by his friend Evans. He was later reinterred in a cemetery in his home town of Cle Elum, Washington. Munro’s sister Patricia attempted to enlist in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve after his death but was rejected for being underweight. Her son, named Douglas after his uncle, grew up to serve in the Coast Guard Reserve and retired a commander.

Evans continued to serve in the Coast Guard through the war. He was commissioned in 1943 a temporary ensign (later made permanent) and was able to remain commissioned after the war, serving until 1962. He accrued 12 years at sea in his 23 years of service. He retired as a commander and passed away in 2013.

Medal of Honor
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War II
Service: Coast Guard
Division: Unknown
GENERAL ORDERS:
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Signalman First Class Douglas Albert Munro, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty as Petty Officer in Charge of a group of 24 Higgins boats, engaged in the evacuation of a battalion of marines trapped by enemy Japanese forces at Point Cruz Guadalcanal, on 27 September 1942. After making preliminary plans for the evacuation of nearly 500 beleaguered marines, Munro, under constant strafing by enemy machineguns on the island, and at great risk of his life, daringly led five of his small craft toward the shore. As he closed the beach, he signaled the others to land, and then in order to draw the enemy’s fire and protect the heavily loaded boats, he valiantly placed his craft with its two small guns as a shield between the beachhead and the Japanese. When the perilous task of evacuation was nearly completed, Munro was instantly killed by enemy fire, but his crew, two of whom were wounded, carried on until the last boat had loaded and cleared the beach. By his outstanding leadership, expert planning, and dauntless devotion to duty, he and his courageous comrades undoubtedly saved the lives of many who otherwise would have perished. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Navy Cross
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War II
Service: Coast Guard
Rank: Chief Signalman
Battalion: 1st Battalion (Attached)
Division: 1st Marine Division
GENERAL ORDERS:
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Signalman Raymond J. Evans, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in action against the enemy while serving as a member of the crew of a HIGGINS boat assisting in the rescue of a group of Marines of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, FIRST Marine Division, who had become surrounded by enemy Japanese forces on a beachhead of Guadalcanal, Solomons Islands, on 27 September 1942. Although he knew that his boat was to be used for the purpose of drawing enemy fire away from other craft evacuating the trapped Marines, Chief Signalman Evans, with utter disregard for his own personal safety, volunteered as a member of the crew. Gallantly remaining at his post during the entire evacuation and with every other member of his crew killed or wounded, he maintained control of the boat with one hand on the wheel and continued to fire his automatic machine gun with the other, until the last boat cleared the beach. By his great personal valor, skill and outstanding devotion to duty in the face of grave danger, he contributed directly to the success of his mission by saving the lives of many who otherwise might have perished.

Hand salute..Ready, Two!

Further reading:
Douglas Munro
Munro Letter
Munro’s Letters
Ray Evans Bio
Ray Evens Record
Coast Guard Heros

Thanks, Mason.

Category: Coast Guard, Guest Post, The Warrior Code, Valor