Marines pay respects to Coastie

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.

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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 continued to fire his weapon with the other until the last boat cleared the beach. When the majority of the Marines were in the boats, complications arose in evacuating the last men, whom Munro realized would be in the greatest danger. Munro placed himself and his boats to serve as cover for the last men to leave.

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Sarcogito said:

His fellow Coastie serving alongside him was the only Coastie to ever receive the MoH. A good Coastie friend of mine participated at the funeral and was especially touched that the Marines were there to participate in the three-volley salute. Probably no two services are more different than the Coast Guard and the Marine Corps, but after all these years the Corps didn't forget.

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