Geiger, Roy Stanley “Rugged Roy”, “Jiggs”.

Geiger, Roy “Jiggs,” born 25-01-1885 in Middleburg, Florida, to Marion Francis Geiger (1848-1894) and his wife Joseephine, born Prevatt Geiger. (1854-1927). Roy had three sisters and two brothers, Lily Geiger Henderson ( 1874-1955), Marion Percy Geiger ( 1876-1959), Eddie Frances Geiger Coats (1880-1913), Carl R Geiger (1885-1963) and Florence Geiger Coats (1889-1931) Florence in the same year as Adolf Hitler.

Roy was married with Eunice Renshaw, born Thompson Geiger and the couple had two children, a daughter  Joyce Geiger Johnson (1918-2011)

Joyce spent part of her early life in Haiti where her father was the Marine Corps Commander of all air units.In 1936 Mrs. Johnson was training for the Olympic Swim Team but an attack of Pneumonia prevented her from making the trip to Berlin.In 1939 she married second Lieutenant Robert J, Johnson and part of their honeymoon was spent at Camp Perry where Johnson was stationed with the Marine Rifle Team. She returned to Pensacola when Lieutenant Johnson was ordered to flight training in 1940. After a short tour in San Diego where her twins were born, she moved to Hawaii in time to witness the attack on Pearl Harbor from her house in Pearl City. Joyce was evacuated in February, 1942 and spent most of the war in Pensacola here she was a driver for the Red Cross Motor Corps. Later in Quantico, VA. Joyce was Red Cross Chairman for two years.

And a son Roy Stanly Geiger Jr. ( 1920-2014) who was a Colonel in the US Army in WW2 and in Vietnam. When Roy Stanley Geiger Jr. was born on 26-12-1920, in Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, United States, his father, Roy Stanley Geiger, was 35 and his mother, Eunice Renshaw Thompson, was 27. He married Jacqueline Emma Marie Marter on 26-04-1947, in Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, United States. He lived in Prince William, Virginia, United States in 1930. He died on 09-01-2014, in Duluth, Gwinnett, Georgia, United States, at the age of 93, and was buried in Gwinnett, Georgia, United States.

Roy Sr graduated from John B. Stetson University in 1907 and was very briefly a lawyer before joining the Marines as an enlisted man in the Marine Corps as a Private on 02-11-1907 in St. Paul, Minnesota and was sent to Naval Station Norfolk for his initial training.

Further training followed and in July 1918, he arrived in France. He served with 5^th Group, Royal Air Force at Dunkirk.  He commanded a squadron of the First Marine Aviation Force and was attached to the Day Wing, For distinguished service in leading bombing raids against the enemy, he was awarded the Navy Cross. In August 1941, he became Commanding General, 1^st Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force, in which capacity he was found upon the United States entry into World War II. On 03-09-1942, he was stationed at Guadalcanal to lead the Cactus Air Force during the early part of the Guadalcanal Campaign.

 He was recalled to Marine Corps Headquarters in May 1943, to become Director of Aviation.In July he relieved Holland Smith

  as Commander, Fleet Marine Forc, Pacific. In November 1943, he returned to the field, this time as Commanding General of the I Amphibious Corps and led the Corps from November 9, to December 15, 1943, in the Battle of Bougainville, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Redesignated III Amphibious Corps  in April 1944, he led this organization in the invasion and subsequent recapture of Guam during July and August 1944, and in the assault and capture of the southern Palau Islands in September and October of the same year. For those operations he was awarded two Gold Award stars in lieu of a second and third Distinguished Service Medal. Geiger led this Corps into action for the fourth time as part of the Tenth Army in the invasion and capture of Okinawa. It was at Okinawa that General Geiger’s command was part of the Day Wing of General Simon Bolivar Buckner, U.S. Army. When General Buckner was killed, General Geiger assumed commandof the 10^th Army  until the successful conclusion of the campaign, relieved by General, nicknamed “Uncle Joe” or “Vinegar Joe.”, Joseph Stilwell  on 23 June. The Army had over 102.000 soldiers (of these 38.000+ were non-divisional artillery, combat support and HQ troops, with another 9.000 service troops), over 88.000 Marines and 18.000 Navy personnel (mostly Seabees  and medical personnel). At the start of Battle of Okinawa 10^th Army had 182,821 men under its command. In all, Tenth Army suffered 65.631 casualties during the campaign, with 34.736 being suffered by XXIV Corps, 26.724 by III Amphibious Corps, 520 to the tactical air force attached to Tenth Army, 2.636 to the Army garrison forces of Okinawa and Ie Shina, and 1.015 to troops directly under the command of Tenth Army. This memorial commemorates General Roy Stanley Geiger. He served in the United States Marine Corps in both World Wars. In World War II, he was the first Marine Corps General to command an entire army, the U.S. Tenth Army after commanding the III Amphibious Corps in the Battle of Okinawa.

As noted earlier, one of those casualties was the commander of the 10^th Army himself, killed by an enemy shellburst while visiting a forward position. The day after, a second General, Brigadier General, Claudius Easly

   , was killed by machine gun fire  Geiger led this corps into action for the fourth time as part of the Tenth Army in the invasion and capture of Okinawa.

  

Roy returned to Washington, D.C., and Pensacola, Florida, in September and October 1945 before resuming his duties. Geiger was transferred to Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps in November 1946.

Roy Geiger died suddenly at the age of 61, on 23-01-1947 at Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland, and is buried with his wife Eunice, born Renshaw, who died old age 88, on 04-01-1982, on Arlington National Cemetery, Section 2. Close by the graves the Lieutenant General, Commander 92^nd “ Negro Division”, Edward “Ned” Almond,

Navy Admiral, Battle of the Leyte Gulf, Robert Carney, Major General, Commander 8^th Bomber Command Europe, Frederick Anderson, Rear Admiral, Commander Destroyer Greyson, Frederic Bell, Navy Admiral, “Operation Crossroads” Atomic-bomb tests on the Island Bikini Atoll, William Blandy and General, Commander 32^nd Infantry Division, Clovis Byers.

 “General Roy Stanley. Geiger Memorial Parkway” sign on County Road 220 in Clay County, Florida, just south of Jacksonville

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