High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Lieutenant Colonel Harold William Bauer, commonly referred to as "Joe" Bauer, (November 20, 1908 – November 14, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps air group commander and fighter pilot ace credited with destroying 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a fighter squadron commander during the crucial struggle for the control of the Solomons at the Battle of Guadalcanal.