Pearl Harbor survivor gets letter from top Navy admiral for his 104th birthday
Geb Galle served on the battleship USS Nevada during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and he later saved four sailors from a sinking ship.
Jeff Schogol
Jul 23, 2025 4:50 PM EDT
Geb Galle
Navy veteran Geb Galle, who served in World War II, receives a letter from Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby to mark his 104th birthday. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Torrey W. Lee.
Navy veteran Geb Galle survived Pearl Harbor and went on to take part in 19 campaigns in the Pacific during World War II.
In 1942 alone, he watched B-25 bombers take off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet for the Doolittle Raid, and he later saved four other sailors from the cruiser USS Northampton before the ship sank, his daughter Lynda Palmer said.
“One of the guys did thank him, but dad said he didn’t need thanks, it was just what you did during those times,” Palmer told Task & Purpose.
When he turned 104 on July 20, he received a letter from Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby, Palmer said. The letter was delivered by two sailors, one of whom is a machinist’s mate, just like her father was during the war.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-pearl-harbor-veteran/
