John Birch Ray, Jr.
1915-1944
John Birch Ray, Jr. was born December 25, 1914 in Colorado City, Texas to
John Birch Sr. & Lucy J. Howard Ray. January 13, 1943 John
married Naoma Hunter, both being from Lavaca, Sebastian Co., Ar.
On the 1940 census Pvt.John B Ray is living on the US Marine Corps Base
in San Diego, California. In 1935 he was living in Lavaca, Sebastian Co., Ar.
July 22, 1942 John registered for the miitary draft in Fresno, California.
His draft registration card, shown below, is where his place of birth is found and Mr. Dayton
Brewer of Lavaca, Sebastian County, Ar. is given as "the person who will
always know your address." His Marine Corp unit is listed as
2nd Marine Amphibious Unit Truck Co, 4th Marine Bn, 4th Marine Div., Fmf, Marianas Islands.
Pvt John Birch Ray lost his life June 21, 1944 in the Marianas Campaign below. He was buried
in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Marianas Campaign: May-November 1944
In June 1944, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's 500-ship fleet, carrying about 125,000
Marines and Sailors steamed 1,000 miles from the Western Marshall Islands to the
South Mariana Islands. This fleet included most of the Navy's carriers and
battleships, along with many of its transports of the Pacific Fleet. The Mariana
Islands were the last bastion of Japan's Central Pacific perimeter. Their capture
by American Forces severed the Japanese supply lines with the Caroline Islands
territories further south and pushed the defense west to the Philippines while
opening the Japanese homelands for aerial assaults. Spruance's Task Force 58
launched the first of many pre-invasion air sorties on June 11 on Japanese
positions, airplanes, and ships. Both fast and escort carriers participated
in these attacks that lasted until the capture of Guam on August 10.
|
|
|
|
