Pearl Harbor and Samar Navy Cross group.

[LYONSJ9]

Grouping of Rear Admiral Charles F. Greber: Recipient of the Navy Commendation Medal (with V) for Bravery at Pearl Harbor, and recipient of the Navy Cross for Valor at the Battle off Samar.

 

Charles Frederic Greber Jr. was born to Charles Sr. and Florette Greber in Manhattan, NYC in 1898. After excelling in school, he earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in 1916, where he would demonstrate great athletic prowess on the academy’s Baseball and Basketball teams. When America was unexpectedly hurled into the Great War, Midshipman Greber and his fellow classmates would embark on several voyages with the Atlantic Battle Fleet, earning excellent wartime gunnery and leadership experience that would prove highly valuable later in his career. 

 

After the end of the Great War, Greber would graduate from the Academy in 1921, and would serve as a junior officer aboard USS Florida until he would receive an exciting and life changing assignment.

 

In 1924, Lieutenant Greber was one of very few applicants to be accepted into the exclusive Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Florida.  Under the tutelage of some of the early pioneers of Naval Aviation, Greber would master flying and earn his aviators wings. Having proven his superb flying abilities, he would be selected for a special mission in 1929 to find the crew of a missing plane in the Pacific northwest. Receiving national media attention, Greber and the other rescuers persevered through two weeks of appalling weather before the search was unfortunately called off. Throughout the 1930’s, Greber would continue serving as a Naval Aviator aboard USS Langley, Saratoga, Ranger, and as a test pilot before being assigned as staff officer to Vice Admiral William Pye aboard the flagship USS California. 

 

On the morning of December 7th, 1941, the California, along with the rest of the Pacific Battle Fleet, came under surprise attack by the Japanese. With the ship’s captain and Admiral Pye ashore for a morning meeting, Greber and the other staff officers took command of the defense of the ship. With adrenaline and rage coursing through his veins, Greber ran out onto the deck of the battered battleship to see what he could do. After his men smashed open the ships ammunition lockers, Greber assisted the inexperienced crew by directing the ships antiaircraft defenses, and putting up an impressive barrage of antiaircraft fire that succeeded in downing several enemy planes. After the smoke cleared, with his ship burning and partially sunk, Greber went ashore and brought together all of the aviators he could find from the crews of the devastated Battleships and Cruisers, and formed a rag tag reconnaissance squadron that would set out in search of the Japanese Fleet. While they were unable to find and inflict damage upon the enemy fleet, Greber would be highly praised for his actions and was awarded the Navy Commendation Ribbon with a Valor device. It would be the first of many valor awards Greber would amass by the end of the war. 

 

After Pearl Harbor, Greber was ordered to Washington D.C. where he would do more work with experimental and prototype  aircraft before being deployed to the Pacific as a staff officer. In 1943, he would be promoted to Captain, and later placed in command of the newly commissioned Escort Carrier USS Marcus Island. Greber and his men were immediately thrown into the fight, and would see heavy action during the Marianas Campaign, with Greber receiving a Bronze Star with V for his excellent leadership during the battle of Palau.

 

By October of 1944, the tide of the Pacific War had turned, and the Japanese Empire, though still firmly resisting the Allied advance, was beginning to be driven back. Douglas MacArthur, having pledged to return to the Philippines in early 1942, began an invasion to liberate the islands, and place a nail in the coffin of the Japanese. Little did the Americans know however, the Japanese Navy had a trick up their sleeve that would almost cost MacArthur his entire invasion force. 

 

When the opportunity to achieve Fleet Admiral Bull Halsey’s dream of delivering a final crippling blow to the Japanese Carrier forces seemingly presented itself, the hungry warrior leaped at the chance, and pulled away the majority of his resources meant to protect MacArthur’s invasion force. Only three small task forces of Destroyer Escorts, Destroyers, and Escort Carriers were left behind to protect the entire invasion force, with Captain Greber’s USS Marcus Island being one of them. As Halsey steamed his forces in search of the carriers, the real Japanese force quietly made its way towards the unsuspecting American beachheads.

 

The next day, reconnaissance planes from one of the escort carriers made a horrifying discovery, the entire Japanese Battle Fleet, including the super battleship Yamato, were steaming at full speed directly for the three small task forces. The leaders of Taffy One, Two, and Three knew that they were the only barrier to preventing the abject slaughter of tens of thousands of marines and soldiers, and the obliteration of MacArthur’s aims to retake the Philippines. With haste, the Americans began their epic defense. While the destroyer Johnston charged headlong into the Japanese formation, and the other destroyers and destroyer escorts opened fire with their 5” guns and torpedoes, Marcus Island and the other escort carriers launched all of their available aircraft with any available ordinance they could find, which included a mixed bag of torpedos, bombs, and even depth charges, and set out to do whatever damage they could to the far superior enemy force. 

 

As the fighting grew desperate, and Japanese high explosive shells began to find their marks on the beleaguered American task forces, under Greber’s command, Marcus Island began taking on, refueling, and rearming the aircraft of other escort carriers that had been damaged or sunk, and sending them back into the fight.

 

By the time the smoke cleared, and the battle was over, the heavily outnumbered American force had been victorious in driving back the entire Japanese battle fleet. In addition to assisting greatly in aiding other vessels, Greber’s men played a pivotal role in the battle by crippling the heavy cruisers Nagato and Chikuma, scoring over 14 bomb and torpedo hits on other vessels, and had sank the cruiser Kinu and the destroyer Uranami. For his extraordinary bravery and exceptional leadership in the battle, Greber would be awarded the Navy Cross, and would come home to America at wars end to a heroes welcome. 

 

Greber would later be promoted to Rear Admiral, and would be placed in command of Naval Reserve forces in Seattle before retiring in 1952. He would enjoy 22 years of retirement until passing away in 1974. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manayunkman]

Spectacular 2 War group.

[Brian Dentino]

Awesome write up on this great group.  Quite the intrepid Naval Officer with quite the long and distinguished career.  Glad there was a happy ending to his heroics and he was able to enjoy a long and well earned retirement.  Thanks for sharing Greber's story and medals with us.

[LYONSJ9]

6 hours ago, manayunkman said:

Spectacular 2 War group.

Thank you!

[LYONSJ9]

6 hours ago, Brian Dentino said:

Awesome write up on this great group.  Quite the intrepid Naval Officer with quite the long and distinguished career.  Glad there was a happy ending to his heroics and he was able to enjoy a long and well earned retirement.  Thanks for sharing Greber's story and medals with us.

Thank you!