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First Name
Paul
Middle Name
E.
Last Name
Galanti
Birthdate
Hometown
Glen Gardner, NJ
Rank
Commander
Service Branch
Navy
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Paul Galanti was born in 1939 in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy on June 6, 1962, and became a Naval Aviator in 1963. Following a "plow-back" tour as a flight instructor, Galanti was assigned to the A-4 Replacement Air Group (RAG) in NAS Lemoore, California. He was shot down over North Vietnam while flying his 97th combat mission in an A-4 Skyhawk with VA-216 from the USS Hancock on June 17, 1966.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Commander Galanti was released on February 12, 1973, during “Operation Homecoming”. Following hospitalization, he regained flight status, earned a Master of Commerce from the University of Richmond, and served as the Commanding Officer of Navy recruiting in Virginia. Commander Galanti served next as a Battalion Officer at the U.S. Naval Academy from 1979 until his medical retirement from the Navy on June 30, 1982. After his retirement from the Navy, he served as the CEO of the Virginia Pharmacy and Medical Societies, and has been active in entrepreneurial ventures, and veterans affairs policies on both the state and national level. Paul is a former President of NAM-POWs, serves as the webmaster for the NAM-POWs website, and is currently the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2010, the Education Center at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, was dedicated the Paul & Phyllis Galanti Education Center in honor of Paul and his wife.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Silver Star
- Legion of Merit (2)
- Bronze Star
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release