Roy Geiger
Roy Stanley Geiger | |
---|---|
Military Governor of Guam | |
In office July 21, 1944 – August 10, 1944 | |
Preceded by | Hideyoshi Obata (last Japanese military governors) |
Succeeded by | Henry Louis Larsen |
Personal details | |
Born | Middleburg, Florida, US | January 25, 1885
Died | January 23, 1947 Bethesda, Maryland, US[1] | (aged 61)
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Nickname | "Jiggs" |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards |
|
Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 – January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps four-star general who served in World War I and World War II. In World War II, he became the first Marine Corps general to lead a field army.
Geiger commanded the
Early life
Geiger was born in Middleburg, Florida.
Education
Geiger attended Florida State Normal and Industrial College. In 1907, Geiger earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Stetson University College of Law.[3]
Geiger enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private on November 2, 1907, in
U.S. Marine Corps career
Following attendance at the Marine Officers' School at
In March 1916, Geiger joined
World War I
Further training followed and in July 1918, he arrived in France. He served with
Development of Marine Corps aviation between the wars
From December 1919 to January 1921, he was a squadron commander with the Marine Aviation Force attached to the
In August 1927, he returned to Quantico as a squadron officer and instructor at the Marine Corps Schools, and in May 1928, was assigned to duty in the Aviation Section, Division of Operations and Training, at Marine Corps Headquarters. After attending the
In June 1935, he returned to Quantico as commanding officer, Aircraft One, Fleet Marine Force. From June 1939 to March 1941, he was a student at the Senior and the Advanced Courses, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. This was followed with a brief tour of duty in the Office of the Naval Attaché, London.
World War II
In April 1941, Geiger made his way from Lisbon to Gibraltar, where he changed from civilian clothes to his military uniform. He had lunch with the governor at Government House, in a visit which lifted British morale in Gibraltar. He was on his way to the Western Desert, as the first U.S. military observer attached to the British 8th Army. In August, he became commanding general, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force, in which capacity he was found upon the United States' entry into World War II.
On September 3, 1942, he was stationed at
His citation reads in part, "Despite almost continuous bombardment by enemy aircraft, hostile naval gunfire and shore based artillery, the combined total of Army, Navy and Marine Corps units stationed at Guadalcanal under Major General Geiger's efficiently coordinated command succeeded in shooting down 268 Japanese planes in aerial combat and inflicting damage on a number estimated to be as great ... Sank six enemy vessels, including one heavy cruiser, possibly sank three destroyers and one heavy cruiser, and damaged 18 other ships, including one heavy cruiser and five light cruisers."
Geiger was recalled to
Redesignated
Geiger led this corps into action for the fourth time as part of the
He returned to Washington, D.C., and Pensacola, Florida, in September and October 1945 before resuming his duties.[10] Geiger was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in November 1946.[11][12]
Geiger was promoted to four-star general posthumously by the 80th Congress to be effective from January 23, 1947.[13]
Awards
Military awards
Geiger's military decorations and awards include:
Naval Aviator Badge | |||||||||||
Navy Cross w/ one 5⁄16" Gold Star |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal w/ two 5⁄16" Gold Stars |
Army Distinguished Service Medal | |||||||||
Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ one 3⁄16" Bronze Star |
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal w/ two 3⁄16" Bronze Stars |
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1912) | World War I Victory Medal w/ Ypres-Lys, France 1918, clasps (two 3⁄16" Bronze Stars) | ||||||||
Haitian Campaign Medal (1921) | Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933) | American Defense Service Medal w/ "Base" clasp (one 3⁄16" Bronze Star) |
American Campaign Medal | ||||||||
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ one 3⁄16" Silver Star |
World War II Victory Medal
|
Dominican Order of Military Merit Combat Division 1st Class |
Nicaraguan Medal of Distinction and Diploma |
Army citation
For his part in the action on Okinawa he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. His citation reads in part:
- Going ashore with the early landing elements on April 1, 1945, he began a bitter three-month campaign ... with outstanding professional skill, forceful leadership and unswerving determination, he directed his units ... repeatedly disregarding personal safety to secure a first hand estimate of the battle situation and inspiring his men to heights of bravery and accomplishment.
Other awards and recognitions
- 2002 Gen. Roy Stanley Geiger Memorial Parkway. Dedicated the section of highway formerly known as Clay County Road 220 in Florida.[14][15]
- 2011 Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame. Presented posthumously.[3]
- Marine Corps base Camp Geiger in North Carolina is named in his honor.[16]
Personal life
While Geiger was in Pensacola, Florida, he met Eunice Renshaw Thompson,[17] who became his wife, Eunice Renshaw Geiger. They had two children, Roy and Joyce.[18][19]
Geiger's daughter Joyce Geiger Johnson (1918–2011) trained to become a member of the U.S. Olympic swim team, but pneumonia prevented her from making it to the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was a Red Cross Chairman in Quantico, Virginia. She also became a field director of the Girl Scouts.[19]
Geiger's son was Roy Stanley Geiger Jr. (1920–2014), who was an Army colonel.[14][18]
Following a short visit to his home in
Geiger is buried at
See also
References
- ^ Willock Unaccustomed to Fear, p. 315
- ^ Hubler and De Chant, 1944, p. 51.
- ^ a b "Hall of Fame - 2011 Inductees". stetson.edu. 2011. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)[( archived]) - ^ Willock Unaccustomed to Fear, pp. 33–42.
- ^ Kaufman 100 Year of Marine Corps Aviation, p. 314.
- ^ Kaufman 100 Year of Marine Corps Aviation, p. 315.
- ^ a b Wellons, James B. (June 2007). "Abstract" (PDF). General Roy S. Geiger, USMC: Marine Aviator, Joint Force Commander (MA). Air University, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. p. vi. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ Kalaji, Dania (2021-06-26). "Four-star general's family returns ancient bell to Japan". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ Camp, Giants Of The Corps: "Rugged Roy" Geiger And The Northern Bombing Group, May 2006.
- ^ Wellons, 2007, pp. 137–138.
- ^ Camp, 2006.
- ^ Camp's article states that Geiger's transfer back to headquarters was "in late 1945." This is an obvious typographical error. Other sources such as Wellons, 2007, state actions taken by Geiger while in command of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific during 1946 and make clear that his command ended in November 1946.
- ^ Wellons, 2007, p. 146.
- ^ a b "FLORIDA HIGHWAY NAMED FOR MARINE". marines.mil. July 11, 2002. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "General Roy Stanley Geiger,United States Marine Corps". hmdb.org. 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "CAMP GEIGER". marines.mil. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "ROY S. GEIGER - A Marine For the Ages" (PDF). mca-marines.org. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Roy S. GEIGER Jr". legacy.com. 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)() - ^ a b "Joyce Johnson". legacy.com. 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ Wellons, 2007, pp. 145–146.
- ^ "Burial Detail: Geiger, Roy Stanley (Section 2, Grave 4954)". ANC Explorer. Arlington National Cemetery. (Official website).
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
Additional sources
- "General Roy Stanley Geiger, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- Camp, Dick (May 2006). "Giants Of The Corps: "Rugged Roy" Geiger And The Northern Bombing Group". Leatherneck Magazine. Marine Corps Association and Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
- Hubler, Richard G.; Dechant, John A (1944). Flying Leathernecks – The Complete Record of Marine Corps Aviation in Action 1941–1944. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc.
- Kaufman, Roxanne M.; Schmidt, Laurie (2011). 100 Years of Marine Corps aviation: An Illustrated History. Washington, D. C.: U. S. Government Printing Office.
- Wellons, Major James B. (June 2007). "General Roy S. Geiger, USMC: Marine Aviator, Joint Force Commander" (PDF). Masters Thesis. School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
- Willock, Roger (1968). Unaccustomed to Fear – A Biography of the Late General Roy S. Geiger. Marine Corps Association. ISBN 0-940328-05-4.
External links
- Roy Stanley Geiger at ArlingtonCemetery.net (Unofficial website)
- General Roy Stanley Geiger at usmcu.edu
- LIBERATION: Marines in the Recapture of Guam at nps.gov
- Guam in World War II - War In The Pacific National Historical Park at nps.gov
- Roy Stanley Geiger General, U.S. Marine Corps at militaryhallofhonor.com