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First Lieutenant

Bernard Geller

United States Army Military Police Corps — Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Felonious Veteran

End of Watch July 28, 1953

Age 29

Tour of Duty 10 yrs 9 mo

The Vigil Panel 89 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 64

Incident

Location: Overseas Weapon: Rifle; M-1 Offender: Sentenced to 55 years in prison

First Lieutenant Bernard Geller was shot and killed after arriving at the scene of shots fired call near Naha Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

A United States airman argued with a local Okinawan and shot the man before stealing his M1 carbine rifle. When First Lieutenant Geller ordered the airman to halt, he was shot and killed. The airman stole Lieutenant Geller's service pistol and wounded another military policeman before escaping. Other military policemen wounded the airman before placing him into custody.

The airman was found guilty of homicide on October 5th and sentenced to death pending review by the United States Air Force and the President of the United States. On December 3, 1954, the death sentence was upheld by the court of military appeals in Washington, DC, pending final review by President Eisenhower. The airman was confined to Fort Leavenworth on June 3, 1955. President Dwight D. Eisenhower commuted the death sentence to 55 years in prison on September 24, 1957.

First Lieutenant Geller was a United States World War II Army veteran and was on his second tour as a commissioned officer, assigned to the 98th Military Police Battalion Headquarters.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, three daughters, mother, three sisters, and brother, who was a police officer in New York.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-FED-228CBDB1
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
First Lieutenant Geller gave the United States Army Military Police Corps 10 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department United States Army Military Police Corps

Location Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Platform Identity usampcmp.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 28, 1953

Tour of Duty 10 yrs 9 mo

Age 29

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle; M-1

Offender Sentenced to 55 years in prison

Military Service

Bernard Geller served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

First Lieutenant Bernard Geller is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At United States Army Military Police Corps, 26 of 65 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

United States Army Military Police Corps

of 65 officers

40% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious