Douglas Albert Munro ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Washington
On September 27, 1942 Petty Officer First Class Munro was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Coast Guard. ★ He is remembered by the people of Washington. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
We all benefit when we work together to honor fallen American service members. The Honor States archive is a grassroots initiative. Of the people, by the people, for the people.
Click to Submit Update Request for this Fallen Service Member▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Douglas Albert Munro is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2015-09-13 18:24:26.
Missing : Core Data
· Service number· Enlistment type
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 323289 |
| Name | Douglas Albert Munro |
| From | Vancouver, Clark County, Washington |
| Birth Date | November 11, 1919 |
| Casualty Date | September 27, 1942 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Coast Guard |
| Rank | Petty Officer First Class |
| Specialty | Signalman First Class |
| Unit/Group | US Coast Guard ship transport fleet |
| Casualty Type | Killed in action |
| Location | Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands |
| Burial | Laurel Hill Memorial Park Cle Elum, Washington |
| Notable Awards |
★ Medal of Honor
★ Purple Heart |
Additional Details
Munro was born on October 11, 1919, in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada, to James Munro, originally from California, and Edith Thrower Fairey from Liverpool, England. The family moved to Vancouver, Washington.He attended Central Washington College of Education (now known as Central Washington University) for a year before leaving to enlist in the United States Coast Guard in 1939. He had an outstanding record as an enlisted man and was promoted rapidly through the ratings to a signalman, first class. In the Second Battle of the Matanikau, part of the Guadalcanal Campaign, Munro was in charge of a detachment of ten boats which landed U.S. Marines at the scene. After successfully taking them ashore, he returned his boats to their previously assigned position and almost immediately learned that conditions ashore were different from what had been anticipated and that it was necessary to evacuate the Marines immediately. Munro volunteered for the job and brought the boats to shore under heavy enemy fire, then proceeded to evacuate the men on the beach. When most of them were in the boats, complications arose in evacuating the last men, whom Munro realized would be in the greatest danger. He accordingly placed himself and his boats such that they would serve as cover for the last men to leave. Munro was fatally wounded. He remained conscious sufficiently long only to say four words: "Did they get off?" He was posthumously awarded the Navy Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on that day. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Medal of Honor
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation
★ Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal
★ Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
Washington Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Washington who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▼ Washington was home to over 7,751 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,040 World War I
• 5,143 World War II
• 517 Korean War
• 1,051 Vietnam War
• 252 Prisoners of war
• 1,750 Missing in action
• 89 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 39 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
• 5,143 World War II
• 517 Korean War
• 1,051 Vietnam War
• 252 Prisoners of war
• 1,750 Missing in action
• 89 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 39 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
▼ Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
▼ National D-Day Memorial
▼ National Memorial Day Parade with Spirit of 45
▼ U-Haul Supported National Memorial Day Parade
▼ USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
▼ Research Contributors - Groups and individuals who have been directly responsible for curating content. Some are experienced historians and archivists, others are enthusiastic members of the public who have suggested content additions or corrections.
Honor States Admin
Roy "Joker"
Sarah Jo "Lady Chaos"
▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
Here is Some Important Information!
Walgreens Supported National Memorial Day Parade
Thanks to Walgreens for contributing over 300 posters honoring the fallen at Normandy. These were carried by kids in the 2019 Spirit of 45 Memorial Day March of Heroes that paid tribute to the thousands who gave their lives to the cause of freedom during the liberation of Europe.
★ Featured National Supporter
Our Supporters are Essential Team Members! - learn more
Chuck - I thank greatly. I am alerting your site to all of the Veteran organizations I belong to. Need to get the word out there.
Emanual - I find myself coming back to your site often. It's important. Never forget the sacrifices made to preserve our freedom.
Irvin - Your website is outstanding and a great tribute to the Patriots who gave all. As a Vietnam veteran, I thank you very much.
Suzanna - I commend you for creating this resource. And thanks to the volunteers for providing the extra support in crunch time:)
Copyright 2024, Created in the USA
General Disclaimer - This is a private sector project developed by Hello Pineapple LLC. Although we enter into collaborative associations with many supporting organizations, this site is not owned or operated by any Government body. All information found on this site has been obtained through fair use public contributions. We've done our best to craft a valuable and comprehensive product for the benefit of our world's collective history, however we make no claims of 100% accuracy. :)
Furthermore, the information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or contractural advice. Parts of this website may include sections that may be considered advertising in a broad sense. All information is current at the time of publication, however it is subject to change by it's very nature.