U.S.S. Ormsby 6-4-44 to 7-21-44 - 47 days

[Ray Merrell]

June 4th, we boarded the U.S.S. Ormsby for the invasion of Guam. The landing was planned to take place three days after the attack on Saipan, on June 15th. The problems on Saipan caused a postponement of our landing on Guam. We remained afloat as a mobile reserve.

We would sail away from Guam and Saipan at night and in the daytime sail toward them. The Japs were putting up such a battle on Saipan we thought we would have to go there. We were about 100 miles off Saipan.

[Zulu 36]

June 4th, we boarded the U.S.S. Ormsby for the invasion of Guam. The landing was planned to take place three days after the attack on Saipan, on June 15th. The problems on Saipan caused a postponement of our landing on Guam. We remained afloat as a mobile reserve.

We would sail away from Guam and Saipan at night and in the daytime sail toward them. The Japs were putting up such a battle on Saipan we thought we would have to go there. We were about 100 miles off Saipan.

I think my father would rather you guys were there instead of the 27th Infantry Division. He never had one nice thing to say about them until the day he died.

[Ray Merrell]

"We were all scared, they took us in on landing crafts as far as possible. They hit coral reefs that the boats could not get over, so we got out in waist-high water and pulled 37mm guns, mounted on two wheels, ashore. We were shelled and shot at. A lot of men were killed on the beach. We got ashore and pushed in about 100 to 150 yards the first day and dug in. We dug a hole for our gun and one for our foxhole. During the night the Japs counter-attacked."

from my book "My Three Years in the Marine Corps", page 64

[Apache]

Cannot say it often enough Marine
Thank you for your service
Your generation shaped the world we live in