Medal of Honor Spotlight: Robert E. Galer

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Heroism and Courage: Robert E. Galer

Medal of Honor:
Portraits of Valor
Beyond the Call to Duty

Robert E. Galer
Major, U.S. Marine Corps
Marine Fighter Squadron 244

Article Courtesy of DefenseWatch

Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross.

Citation: For conspicuous heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a Marine fighter squadron in aerial combat with enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area.

Leading his squadron repeatedly in daring and aggressive raids against Japanese aerial forces, vastly superior in numbers, Maj. Galer availed himself of every favorable attack opportunity, individually shooting down 11 enemy bomber and fighter aircraft over a period of 29 days. Though suffering the extreme physical strain attendant upon protracted fighter operations at an altitude above 25,000 feet, the squadron under his zealous and inspiring leadership shot down a total of 27 Japanese planes.

His superb airmanship, his outstanding skill and personal valor reflect great credit upon Maj. Galer's gallant fighting spirit and upon the U.S. Naval Service.

On Dec. 7, 1941 , Galer was stationed in Hawaii when Japanese planes attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor . With all their planes ablaze, Galer and his fellow pilots took rifles and fired futilely at the incoming Japanese aircraft. Assuming command of the 244th Fighter Squadron on Guadalcanal in August 1942, Galer devised innovative tactics that enabled the squadron's F4F fighters to outperform the superior Japanese Zeros by diving upon them from a much higher altitude. Galer once shot down three planes in less than a minute. In all, he was responsible for 11 of his squadron's 27 kills in September 1942. He shot down a total of 13 planes during the war.

Galer was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 24, 1943. Afterward, Marine Corps officials grounded him because they did not want to risk the life of a Medal of Honor recipient. Galer then trained spotters who worked with ground units to help Marine pilots find targets, participating in three D-day landings in the Pacific at Iwo Jima , Luzon and Okinawa .

After leaving the military, Galer moved to Dallas as vice president of Ling-Temco-Vought, a conglomerate whose holdings include aerospace companies. He is survived by his second wife, Sharon Alexander Galer of Dallas; four children; a brother; and six grandchildren.

Editor's Note: Retired Brig. Gen. Robert E. Galer died at a Dallas , Tex. , hospital at the age of 91 on June 27, 2005 . A Seattle native, he was an engineering major and All-American basketball player at the University of Washington who joined the Marines right after obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1935.