Reservist

ISS2 2013

Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Bi-monthly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security

Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/140140

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 51 of 55

In Memoriam Coast Guard WWII hero laid to rest Retired Coast Guard Cmdr. Ray Evans, 92, was laid to rest June 5, with full military honors. Evans, who passed away May 30, was the final survivor of a dramatic rescue of a group of Marines pinned down by machine gun fire during the battle of Guadalcanal, September 1942, where he earned the Navy Cross. Among those who attended the memorial service were his wife of more than 70 years, Dorothy; his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and Coast Guard Vice Commandant Vice Adm. John Currier. Members of the Marine Corps Security Force Battalion Bangor performed a three-volley salute at the funeral signifying the bond Evans and the Marine Corps have shared since the darkest days of World War II. Evans joined the Coast Guard alongside the service's only Medal of Honor recipient, Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro, in September 1939. "[I] Came out of high school and looked for a job all summer in 1939 and it was a very poor time for jobs and went to the Coast Guard and they said they had not taken a recruit in seven years," said Evans in an oral history recorded in 1992. "They called me back in September and said, 'Are you still interested? We've got seven openings. I said, 'yes I am.' And that's how it started, as an apprentice seaman at $21 a month." After joint assignments that took Evans and Munro from Washington to New York City found themselves aboard the Hunter Liggett. It was during a trip to India, 250 miles south of Cape Town, South Africa, on a quiet December morning in 1941, they heard over the radio bombs had fallen on Pearl Harbor. In less than a year Evans and Munro were reassigned as coxswain and crew of a Higgins boats responsible for transporting Marines to and from Guadalcanal. In the Second Battle of the Matanikau, part of the Guadalcanal campaign, after successfully taking Marines from the 1st Battalion 7th Marines 1st Marine Division ashore, the two Coast Guardsmen returned to their previously assigned position. Almost immediately, they learned that conditions ashore were different than had been anticipated and the Marines were surrounded by enemy Japanese forces on the beachhead. The Marines needed to be evacuated. Both men volunteered for the job, brought their boats to shore under heavy enemy fire and proceeded to evacuate the men on the beach. Evans remained at his post during the entire evacuation. He maintained control of his boat with one hand on the wheel and Vice adm. John P. Currier, vice commandant of the Coast guard, presents dorothy evans, widow of retired Cmdr. Ray evans, with a folded national ensign during Cmdr. evans' funeral at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, Wash., June 5, 2013. evans served in the Coast guard during World War ii, earning the navy Cross for his actions at guadalcanal. Photo by Pa2 george degener 50 RESERVIST � Issue 2 • 2013

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Reservist - ISS2 2013
subscribe to email alerts