- Target:
- The Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.getguythemedal.com
Guy Gabaldon died on August 31, 2006 and the nation lost a real American hero.
During the bloody struggle for Saipan in July 1944, U.S. Marine PFC Guy Gabaldon is officially credited with capturing over 1500 Japanese soldiers and civilians single-handedly, a record that is untouchable in the annals of American military history.
This is a particularly extraordinary feat based on the fact that the Japanese considered surrender to be cowardly and dishonorable, and were ordered to kill 7 Americans for every 1 Japanese soldier captured. For over sixty years, Guy talked about his exploits on that island, sharing his experience and using his celebrity to inspire new generations who valued bravery and bravado. However, war experience alone does not make a life, and Guy's didn't stop in 1944.
He lived many different lives and most importantly he took it upon himself to help the less fortunate, particularly the wayward teenagers he encountered when he returned to the Mariana Islands in 1980, where he would live for twenty years.
Gabaldon received a Navy Cross for his valor, which is the second most honorable award in the military only behind the Medal of Honor. The Navy Cross was bestowed upon Guy in 1960 - 16 years after his battlefield heroics, and not so coincidentally the same year as the release of "Hell to Eternity," which was a Hollywood film that told Guy's extraordinary story.
Many believe that Guy's heritage combined with the progression of time hindered any chance of him receiving the Medal of Honor despite the recommendation of U.S. Marine Captain John Schwabe and others in 1944.
Over the past several decades, people of all walks of life, from U.S. senators and congressional leaders to top veterans organizations, and influential civilians have attempted to convince our government to follow through on the July 1944 recommendation of U.S. Marine Captain John Schwabe and award Mr. Guy Gabaldon the Medal of Honor.
With this petition and enough signatures we can tell Guy's story and follow through on awarding him his posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor.
We, the undersigned, call on the Honorable Donald C. Winter, the Secretary of the Navy to award a World War II veteran and hero, Guy Gabaldon, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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The Get Guy Gabaldon the Medal of Honor petition to The Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy was written by Tim Maggiani and is in the category Military at GoPetition.