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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION 01/25/2024-AMENDED AND REPORTED OUT TO THE FLOOR 12/18/2023-AMENDED AND REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY BILL NO. 35-0116 Thirty-Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands August 22, 2023 A Resolution honoring and commending Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber for his leadership in the Virgin Islands National Guard and his dedication to his country and to the people of the Virgin Islands PROPOSED BY: Senators Novelle E. Francis, Jr., and Dwayne M. DeGraff WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber was born on September 1 16, 1932, on the island of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, the youngest of eight children born to 2 Henry Alphonse Galiber—a master cricket player, First Class Petty Officer with the United 3 States Navy, and a Supervisor of Sanitation for the Virgin Islands Public Works Department— 4 and Adele Louise Lanclos Galiber—beloved pianist, music teacher, and Supervisor of Music 5 for Virgin Islands public schools; and 6 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber attended Saints Peter and Paul 7 Catholic School from the first through the twelfth grades and graduated in June 1951. In high 8 school, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America which laid the foundation for his interest 9 in serving in the military. He grew up in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with his 10 five older siblings: Flavius, Rudolph, Doris, Norma, and Andre and many childhood friends 11 including his cousins Victor Lanclos, and Gilbert Henry and friends, Richard Callwood, and 12 Larry Richardo; and 13 2 WHEREAS, as a child, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber loved animals and 1 spent a lot of time taking care of and playing with his dog, Zurich and cat, Swasty. He spent 2 his free time building model airplanes and toy sail boats and during elementary school, he 3 worked a newspaper route with the Virgin Islands Daily News. While on his paper route, he 4 spent time collecting the seeds of flamboyant trees, that were later aerial flown by a private 5 citizen to populate the island more densely with beautiful trees; and 6 WHEREAS, to support the efforts of World War II, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle 7 Galiber collected lead linings from cigarette boxes and was a telegrapher at the local cable 8 office for this last two years of high school; and 9 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber attended St. John’s University, 10 Teachers College, in Brooklyn New York, and then Howard University School of Engineering 11 and Architecture, in Washington D.C. where he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps 12 (ROTC) as a sophomore and then received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering 13 in July 1958; and 14 WHEREAS, in July 1958, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was 15 commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army with a specialty in air defense artillery. 16 In February 1959, he entered active-duty service and served as the Integrated Fire Control 17 System (IFCS) Platoon Leader of two Nike (surface-to-air missile) sites in the Chicago, Illinois 18 and Gary, Indiana areas, and one at Thule Air Force Base in Greenland; and 19 WHEREAS, during his service as Platoon Leader, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle 20 Galiber trained Illinois National Guard personnel to operate the IFCS section of the Nike Ajax 21 Missile site, led the re-training of active-duty personnel for the Nike missile site, and was the 22 Battery Control Officer of “A” Battery at Thule AFB at the time President John F. Kennedy 23 was announcing the quarantine of Cuba in October 1962; and 24 3 WHEREAS, beginning in November 1962, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber 1 served as the intelligence and security officer of a Nike battalion in Gary, Indiana and then a 2 battalion at Fort Clayton in the Panama Canal Zone. In July 1966, while in the Panama Canal 3 Zone, he was detailed to the Corps of Engineers and re-stationed to Fort Stewart, Georgia to 4 assist with the formation and training of the 34th Engineer Construction Battalion. There he 5 was assigned as the Construction Officer of that battalion and deployed as its troop commander 6 to Bien Hoa, Vietnam in April 1967; and 7 WHEREAS, having been promoted to the rank of Major during the period of movement 8 to Vietnam, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was reassigned to the US Army 9 Engineer Command in Vietnam, as the project officer for the construction of a new building 10 for headquarters U.S. Army, Vitenam (USARV) in Long Binh. Upon completion of that 11 project, he was assigned as the utility officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for 12 Logistics at Headquarters, U.S. Army Vietnam. During that tour, he requested and received a 13 permanent branch transfer from Air Defense Artillery to the Corps of Engineers; and 14 WHEREAS, during his assignment at USARV Headquarters, Honorary Brigadier 15 General Leayle Galiber was sent to the I Corps Tactical Zone during the Tet Offensive to assist 16 the Navy with restoration of power generation at the Da Nang Evacuation Hospital. During that 17 tour, he received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement or service in a combat 18 zone; and 19 WHEREAS, upon his return to the continental United States in April 1968, Honorary 20 Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was assigned as one of two Assistant Army Engineers at 21 Headquarters, First U.S. Army, Fort Meade, Maryland where he was detailed to be the engineer 22 evaluator of a West Virginia Army National Guard construction battalion annual training, 23 became a member of a Sentinel-Sprint (anti-ballistic missile) Site selection team, and was 24 detailed to serve as the Military Aid to the ninth civilian Governor of the Virgin Islands, Ralph 25 M. Paiewonsky, during the week of Richard M. Nixon’s first Presidential inauguration; and 26 4 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber returned to Vietnam in June 1 1971 where he was assigned as the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Engineer 2 Advisor to the Vietnamese Military Property Construction Officer (MPCO) in Da Nang and, 3 concurrently, the MPCO in Hue; and 4 WHEREAS, during his second tour in Vietnam, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle 5 Galiber received the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, 1st Class, for his support 6 of the Vietnamese recovery from the effects of a typhoon that struck three of the five northern 7 provinces in September 1971. He was detailed from his MPCO assignment to assist and advise 8 the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 10th Combat Engineer Group in the counter- 9 offensive to the North Vietnam’s Easter Offensive of 1972 in Quang Tri Province, and he 10 received the Bronze Star Medal’s first oak leaf cluster during his second tour for support of the 11 MPCOs throughout the year and the ARVN combat engineer battalion; and 12 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber returned to the continental 13 United States in July 1972 and was assigned as Chief of the Combat Engineering Instructor 14 Section of the Engineering School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and 15 WHEREAS, in January 1973, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was detailed 16 to serve as the Military Aide to the first elected governor of the Virgin Islands, Melvin H. 17 Evans, during the week of President Nixon’s Second Inauguration; and 18 WHEREAS, in April 1973, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was reassigned 19 as the Assistant to the Commander at Fort Buchannan, Puerto Rico, for National Guard Affairs 20 with the specific mission of assisting the Virgin Islands territory to achieve federal recognition 21 of the Army National Guard units; and 22 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was instrumental in guiding 23 the organization of the Virgin Islands National Guard in 1973. He was mission-oriented and 24 looked at the big picture knowing that establishment of the National Guard in the Virgin Islands 25 5 would benefit the territory because it would empower the Governor to activate the Virgin 1 Islands National Guard during a territorial emergency or a natural disaster; and 2 WHEREAS, by an Act of Congress, sponsored by U.S. House Representative Ronald de 3 Lugo, the territory’s first delegate to the U.S. Congress, the Virgin Islands National Guard was 4 federally recognized on October 19, 1973. In a ceremony officiated by Major General La Vern 5 E. Weber, Director of the United States Army National Guard, Honorary Brigadier General 6 Leayle Galiber was appointed acting Adjutant General and took command of the first two units 7 to be activated, a Headquarters Detachment and the 661st Military Police Company, both on 8 St. Croix. He was permanently assigned as the U. S. Property and Fiscal Officer (USPFO) for 9 the Virgin Islands National Guard, and temporarily as Acting Adjutant General, pending the 10 confirmation of Adjutant General Gerard Luz James; and 11 WHEREAS, in February 1974 the Virgin Islands National Guard saw the formation of 12 the 662nd Military Police Company on St. Thomas. In October 1974, the 666th Army Band 13 was established on St. Croix. In November 1974, the Virgin Islands National Guard received 14 its first call to territorial active duty by Governor Melvin H. Evans, when torrential rains 15 resulted in widespread flooding throughout the islands; and 16 WHEREAS, by September 1976, the Virgin Islands National Guard doubled in strength 17 and the first reorganization occurred. The Guard expanded its force with the 666th Army Band 18 and the 666th Military Police Battalion on St. Thomas. The newly structured Combat Service 19 Support organization was subordinate to the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment; and 20 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber was reassigned to 21 Headquarters, US Army Garrison, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland in September 1975, where 22 he served as Chief of the Housing Division, Directorate of Industrial Operations; and 23 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber met Kirsten Anderson, fell in 24 love, and married her on December 7, 1975, in Christiansted, St. Croix. They had two children, 25 Leayle Jr., born on September 13, 1976, and John, born on November 13, 1978; and 26 6 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Galiber retired from active duty in 1 March 1979, at Fort Meade having progressed in rank from Second Lieutenant in 1958, to First 2 Lieutenant in 1960, to Captain in 1963, to Major in 1967, and finally to Honorary Brigadier 3 General on January 1, 1974. Upon retiring from active duty, he was selected to be the 4 Installation Master Planner in the Directorate of Engineering and Housing at Fort Meade, until 5 he retired from Civil Service in January 2003; and 6 WHEREAS, in October 2023, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber was 7 promoted to the honorary rank of Brigadier General (Virgin Islands) by Governor Albert Bryan, 8 Jr., in recognition of his significant contributions to establishing the Virgin Islands National 9 Guard; and 10 WHEREAS, during his expansive military career, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle 11 Galiber received invaluable assistance and could not have achieved all his success without the 12 USPFO of the Georgia National Guard, Major Poulson, Chief Warrant Officer Four Jackson, 13 Army Military Police enlisted advisor Staff Sergeant Watkins, Chief Warrant Officer Four 14 (RET) Gregory R. Francis and several members of the former U.S. Army Reserve unit on St. 15 Croix; and 16 WHEREAS, Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber, the youngest of eight 17 children, is proud to boast that his son, John M. Galiber, served in the United States Navy and 18 achieved the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. He is also proud that his three older brothers, 19 a niece, and several nephews have served their country and their territory or state, giving their 20 time and expertise to the military, the Virgin Islands Government, the people of the Virgin 21 Islands and the United States; and 22 WHEREAS, The Virgin Islands National Guard receives more than 52 million dollars 23 annually in federal funding which helps the National Guard continue to recruit volunteers to 24 serve the Virgin Islands, and to employ civil servants to support its important mission; and 25 7 WHEREAS, since its inception in 1973, the Virgin Islands National Guard has grown 1 exponentially and today stands as a proud division of the National Guard of the United States, 2 with a vision of providing a ready force that is warfighting-capable and governor-responsive, 3 with soldiers and airmen who have always lived up to the National Guard’s motto, “Always 4 Ready, Always There.” The Virgin Islands National Guard remains “The Guardians of the 5 Eastern Front”; Now, Therefore, 6 Be it Resolved by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 7 SECTION 1. The Legislature of the Virgin Islands, on behalf of the people of the Virgin 8 Islands, honors and commends Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber for his 9 instrumental dedication and hard work in helping to establish the Virgin Islands National Guard 10 and ensuring that the Governor of the Virgin Islands has the authority to call up service 11 members who will continue to serve and protect the interests of the Territory and its citizens. 12 SECTION 2. In recognition and appreciation of his contributions to the people of the 13 Virgin Islands, the President of the Legislature, or the President’s designee, shall have a perma 14 plaque copy of this Resolution prepared and presented to Honorary Brigadier General Leayle 15 Gerard Galiber, or his designee, at an appropriate ceremony. 16 BILL SUMMARY 17 This bill honors and commends Honorary Brigadier General Leayle Gerard Galiber for 18 his dedication and hard work in helping to establish the Virgin Islands National Guard, and for 19 his years of dedicated service to his country and to the people of the Virgin Islands. 20 BR23-0552/August 15, 2023/HLF 21 ..\..\..\..\AMENDS\35th Legislature\FRANCIS, JR., NOVELLE E\Amendment 35-624\35- 22 624 (REVISED) - DRAFTED ON YELLOW.docx 23 ..\..\..\..\AMENDS\35th Legislature\FRANCIS, JR., NOVELLE E\Amendment 35-588\35- 24 588-DRAFTED ON YELLOW.docx 25