CORONADO, Calif. -- The city of Coronado, California, honored 17 heroes during their 4th biannual Hometown Hero Banner event at the Coronado Clubroom, Nov. 5.
“The Hometown Hero Banner Program originated from the residents of the 3rd and 4th Avenue corridor,” said Thomas Ritter, assistant city manager of Coronado. “They wanted to recognize the men and women who have served in the armed services, so they asked the city council to designate 3rd and 4th Avenue as the Avenue of Heroes, and we did.”
The program hosts an event prior to the banners being displayed on the Avenue of Heroes in which the heroes from the Coronado area, or their families, are recognized and presented a gift.
Lt. Col. Harold Bauer, a fallen Marine Corps fighter pilot, was chosen to receive recognition with a Hometown Hero Banner because he was a Coronado resident, who received the Medal of Honor.
Bauer had no living relatives who could make it to the event, so on behalf of the Bauer family Lt. Col. Tim Cooper, executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 11, accepted the banner.
“During World War II, Bauer shot down 11 Japanese aircraft, and he was the commander of [Marine Fighter Squadron 212],” said Cooper. “He was on his last mission on Nov. 14, 1942 when he shot down a couple of Japanese fighters and then was shot down himself.”
Bauer was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage as squadron commander of VMF-212 from May 10 to Nov. 14, 1942.
“There’s a long history of military service in Coronado, so we just wanted to thank them in some way that would be lasting,” said Ritter.