World War II veteran 'refused to quit'

Yahoo

24-05-2025

May 24—A young coxswain who was killed in a World War II battle on the Coral Sea has ties to Anatone — and a ship named after him.
Marvin Ramsden's legacy is now showcased in a shadow box at his niece's house in Clarkston.
The impressive display of medals, photographs and memorabilia is the result of a lot of time and effort that was sparked by a conversation in a break room at the Clearwater Paper mill several years ago.
Two lifelong Clarkston friends — John Peters and Randy VanSickle — were discussing Valerie Ramsden's uncle Marvin and became curious about how the USS Ramsden was linked to Anatone and her family.
VanSickle, 64, a retired Navy veteran, embarked on a deep-dive into history to help his friends learn more. Valerie, 65, and Peters, 64, recently spoke highly of VanSickle's research skills at their Clarkston Heights home.
"Randy was instrumental in all of this, and his Navy connections were huge," Peters said. "After we found out Marvin died a hero and was lost at sea and had a ship named after him, we all agreed this story needs to be told."
According to their research, Ramsden was a "dirt-poor farm boy" who joined the Navy at the age of 17, which required five letters in support of his maturity. He came from a family of homesteaders who settled in Anatone during World War II. His father, James, lost his first wife during childbirth, and married his second wife, Ada, when Marvin was 2 years old, Valerie said.
"Grandma Ada is technically Marvin's stepmother, but she raised him, and played a big role in getting a ship named after him," she said. "She was also there when the ship was christened."
After enlisting in California, Ramsden was stationed on the USS Lexington. On May 8, 1942, a fierce battle with Japan ensued, and the young coxswain remained at his post after being wounded.
"He refused to quit," according to Seattle Star newspaper accounts of the battle.
Ramsden was exposed in the crow's nest on the upper level of the battleship, operating a range finder for the gun crew, said VanSickle, who carefully transcribed the entire log of the attack.
The young seaman courageously remained at his exposed station, in the face of intense dive-bombing attacks until he was physically exhausted. He successfully helped shoot down several enemy planes.
"Basically, Marvin earned a Silver Star that day and died a hero that no one knows about," Peters said. "This kid from nowhere could've bailed, but he refused and went down with the ship."
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
Ramsden, 23, was killed in action aboard the aircraft carrier in the Coral Sea, off the east coast of Australia. He was the first Asotin County youth reported killed during the conflict, according to an Anatone news report.
The famous USS Lexington ship, which had previously launched Amelia Earhart's plane in 1937, was sunk, and Ramsden's body was lost at sea. In early June of 1942, a telegram about his death arrived in Anatone, which had a much larger population than its present-day count, said Valerie, who grew up in the rural Asotin County town.
At a community picnic decades later, she met the man who hand-delivered the sad news of her uncle's death to his family.
"I was talking to a man in his 80s, and found out he had worked at the Anatone telegraph office, and actually delivered that telegram to James and Ada," Valerie said.
Her uncle was a Minnesota native, born in 1919. At the time of his death, he was survived by his parents; two brothers, Lloyd and Everett; and a sister, Ellen Rassilyer.
Everett, who died in 1986, is Valerie's father. Her aunt Ellen, who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, played a pivotal role in securing Marvin's medals, which had been lost over time. She also gathered newspaper clippings and photos in binders that were given to the cousins.
"She was his closest remaining relative and had to sign the paperwork to get the medal replacements," Valerie said. "At the time, she was 92 and living in Federal Way. All of us cousins wrote papers about Marvin in our history classes."
After Marvin Ramsden died, his parents moved to Seattle, and Ada was given his posthumous Silver Star for "gallant and intrepid conduct in action against enemy Japanese forces during the battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942."
Ada also sponsored the USS Ramsden, which carried the Anatone coxswain's portrait. "She was relentless and got a ship named after him," Valerie said. "Grandma Ada played a big part in this story."
The Ramsden namesake ship was commissioned in 1943, and Ada was there when the vessel was launched in Houston, Texas. It served as a destroyer escort vessel, manned by a Coast Guard crew, before being decommissioned in 1960 and used as a practice target in 1975.
At a Navy reunion in 1999, a family member met a man who served on the USS Ramsden. He said every sailor would touch Ramsden's portrait as he walked onto the ship.
Now that the research has been done and the three Clarkston friends have gathered all of Marvin Ramsden's history, they plan to give it to a Navy museum, possibly at Farragut State Park in northern Idaho.
"I was so moved to receive this shadow box, and appreciate all of the work Randy and John did to learn more and more about my Uncle Marvin," Valerie said. "We remember him on every Memorial Day, as well as others who lost their lives fighting for our country, and we are grateful to share his story."
Sandaine can be reached at [e-mail].