Guardian of Guadalcanal by Gary Williams

Author:Gary Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Guardian of Guadalcanal: The World War II Story of Coast Guard Medal of Honor Recipient Douglas Munro
ISBN: 9780984835157
Publisher: The Lakota Press
Published: 2014-08-11T00:00:00+00:00

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*Lunga Cemetery is also known as the Marine Cemetery in Lunga, the Guadalcanal Cemetery, and Flanders Field of the Pacific.

CHAPTER 8

FIRST FAMILY OF THE COAST GUARD

During the early afternoon of Sunday, September 27, Edith was troubled. She and James had returned from church services and finished lunch when she suddenly became very restless. She knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong, with Douglas. As the minutes passed, her concern grew to anguish. James saw the expression on her face and her restlessness and asked her if something was wrong. She shared her thoughts and concerns, but after listening for several minutes, James did his best to reassure her that Douglas was fine. Edith was not convinced. Her anguish turned to dread, her thoughts all-consuming, and she could find no peace. She had no idea of her son’s location or what he was doing, but she was sure of one thing: Something was very wrong. She grabbed her purse and told James she was going to church. James offered to drive, but she insisted on walking—alone. James initially resisted the idea, but he soon relented because their conversation only seemed to fuel her anxiety. She walked so briskly that several times she found herself running.1

As she entered the Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in South Cle Elum, her anxiety level was such that she could feel her heart beating inside her chest and her breathing was both rapid and labored. She walked to the front pew, sat down, and took a minute to compose herself before kneeling in prayer. After nearly an hour, her prayers turned into a one-way conversation with God, then returned to prayer, a cycle that continued over three hours.2

Just after 1800 hours, the anxiety she had felt so strongly had subsided and she felt inner peace. She felt that whatever had been wrong was now right. She got up and slowly walked down the aisle and out the door into the cool evening air, then headed home.3

A HALF A world away, Lieutenant Commander Dwight Dexter had an important letter to write. A letter that would alter the recipients’ lives forever. A letter no one wants to write and no one wants to receive. Alone with a cup of coffee at his desk, he began writing:

Believe me when I say sincerely that this is a very sad letter for me to write advising you of the death of your son Douglas, but as Commanding Officer of the unit to which he was attached at the time of his death, I have pride in telling you that he covered himself with honor and I hope Glory, and fulfilled the mission so satisfactorily that almost all of the men he had under his charge returned to their unit and without exception all had praise for your son’s execution of his duties. It was a year ago last June that Douglas and Raymond Evans came to me and asked if they could be transferred to Captain Ashe’s staff on board the Hunter Liggett.

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