Naval History and Heritage Command

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Bruce Livingston Canaga, Junior, was born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, on April 25, 1915, son of Captain B.L. Canaga, USN, Retired, and Mrs. (Margaret Edwards) Canaga.  He attended the University of California for four years, and Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, where he received the degrees of Bachelor of Science in 1937 and Doctor of Medicine in 1941.  He was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, and entered the US Naval Reserve in rank to that of Commander to date from November 5, 1945.

Upon reporting for active in July 1941, he was assigned to the Naval Hospital, San Diego, California, where he interned, and the two years, September, 1942-1944, he served aboard USS California, a dreadnaught that had been refloated and reconditioned after sinking following the attack on the Fleet at Pearl Harbor in December, 1941.  She was at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Brementon, Washington, being readied and refitted until the spring of 1944, and then returned to Pearl Harbor.  That summer she took part in the Marianas Campaign, and Saipan was captured, Guam retaken and Tinian secured.

When detached from the California he returned to shore and the period September, 1944 to December, 1945 he had duty at the Naval Hospital, Oakland, California, followed by orders to the Naval Hospital, Guam, where served from February, 1946 to October, 1947.  Returning to the United States he served the year December, 1947-1948 attached to the Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the year 1949 he attended Northwestern University, Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, where he had a fellowship in Internal Medical.  Returning to the PhiladelphiaNval Hospital, he reported in January 1950 for duty.  When detached in April, 1951 he was ordered to the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department, Washington, DC.

He has been assigned as Assistant Naval Attache and Assistant Naval Attache for Air at the American Embassy, Moscow, USSR, and will report later this summer.

Commander Canaga has the American Defense Service Medal, Base Clasp; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze engagement stars; and World War II Victory Medal.

Commander Canaga is a member of the Lamba Chi Alpha fraternity and the medical fraternity, Phi Beta Pi.

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