Raymond H. Moershall

NAME Raymond Homer Moershall				NICKNAME —				MCSN 375620
HOME OF RECORD 305 West Union Avenue, Wheaton, IL				NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Mary Moershall
DATE OF BIRTH June 1, 1922		DATE OF ENLISTMENT April 20, 1942					DATE OF LOSS October 16, 1942
REGION Solomons	CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadlacanal / Lunga Roads		CASUALTY TYPE MIA / Declared Dead 17 October 1943			UNIT VMF-223			DUTY —
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS PFC Raymond Moershall, a member of the ground echelon of VMF-223, was slated to leave Guadalcanal on 16 October 1942. He was one of about 150 ambulatory patients – sick, wounded, or combat fatigued – taken aboard the USS McFarland (AVD-14) for evacuation. At 1750, the ship was attacked by a flight of nine Aichi Type 99 dive bombers. The final plane landed a bomb on the McFarland’s stern, setting off the ship’s depth charges and causing havoc among the passengers packed on the exposed deck. PFC Moershall was among them: his exact fate is not known. Moershall was reported as missing in action when the McFarland beached at Tulagi. An official declaration of death followed on 17 October, 1943.
INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart					LAST KNOWN RANK Private First Class
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered.					MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery