I met BM2 Perrett while I was at OCS. He was passionate about his calling and love for the Coast Guard. He will be sorely missed.
Fair Winds and Following Seas Boats.
R 062029Z MAY 07
FM CCGDEIGHT NEW ORLEANS LA//DRMC//
TO COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//RPF//
COMLANTAREA COGARD PORTSMOUTH VA//CC//
R 062008Z MAY 07 ZUI ASN-A08126000037
FM COMCOGARD SECTOR NEW ORLEANS LA//CC//
TO CCGDEIGHT NEW ORLEANS LA//DRMC//
BT
UNCLAS //N05360//
SUBJ: DEATH OF AN HONORED CG MEMBER
1. COAST GUARD SECTOR NEW ORLEANS ANNOUNCES WITH REGRET THE DEATH
OF WORLD WAR II COAST GUARD VETERAN MARVIN J. PERRETT. MR. PERRETT
WAS FOUND DECEASED IN HIS RESIDENCE AT METAIRIE, LOUISIANA ON
SUNDAY, MAY 06, 2007. HE WAS 81.
2. MR. PERRETT WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1925 IN NEW ORLEANS,
LOUISIANA WHERE HE ATTENDED WARREN EASTON HIGH SCHOOL. ON SEPTEMBER
18, 1943 AT 1700, THE DAY AFTER HIS 18TH BIRTHDAY, MR. PERRETT WAS
SWORN INTO THE COAST GUARD. UPON BEING SWORN IN, MR. PERRETT
ATTENDED A RIGOROUS SIX-WEEK BOOT CAMP AT ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA AT
THE PONCE DE LEON HOTEL. UPON COMPLETION OF BOOT CAMP, MR. PERRETT
WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING BASE AT CAMP LEJUNE,
NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE HE WAS TRAINED BY BOTH COAST GUARD AND MARINE
CORP. PERSONNEL TO BECOME A COXWAIN FOR LANDING CRAFT, VEHICLE,
PERSONNEL (LCVP). UPON COMPLETION OF LCVP TRAINING, MR. PERRETT
ATTENDED LANDING BARGE SCHOOL IN LITTLE CREEK, VIRGINIA WHERE HE
LEARNED TO OPERATE THE HIGGINS LANDING CRAFT. UPON COMPLETION OF
LANDING BARGE SCHOOL, MR. PERRETT WAS ASSIGNED TO THE COAST GUARD
MANNED ATACK TRANSPORT USS BAYFIELD WHERE HE SERVED AS A COXSWAIN OF
ONE OF THE BAYFIELD'S LANDING CRAFT. DURING THE INVASION OF
NORMANDY, MR. PERRETT CONDUCTED TWO INVASION TRANSPORTS TO UTAH BEACH. DESPITE HEAVY GUNFIRE FROM GERMAN SHORE BATTERIES, MR. PERRETT SAFELY TRANSPORTED 36 SOLDIERS ON THE FIRST LANDING AND MAJOR GENERAL R.O. BARTON, THE COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE 4TH
INFANTRY DIVISION, ON THE SECOND LANDING. MR. PERRETT ALSO SERVED
AS A COXWAIN DURING THE INVASION OF SOUTHERN FRANCE. SHORTLY AFTER
HIS EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN, MR. PERRETT CONTINUED HIS ASSIGNMENT ONBOARD
THE USS BAYFIELD, WHICH PARTICIPATED IN THE INVASION OF IWO JIMA.
DURING THIS INVASION, MR. PERRETT TRANSPORTED U.S. MARINES ON THE
BEACHES OF IWO JIMA, BUT LOST HIS BOAT DURING THE FIRST BEACH
LANDING DUE TO INGRESS OF WATER OVER THE STERN. STRANDED ON THE
SHORES OF THE ISLAND, MR. PERRETT WAS ABLE TO AVOID GUNFIRE FROM
JAPANESE TROOPS AND OBTAIN TRANSPORTATION TO THE BAYFIELD. MR.
PERRETT ALSO SERVED AS PART OF A DIVERSIONARY TACTICAL OFFENSE
DURING THE INVASION OF OKINAWA.
3. ON MAY 1, 2007, MR. PERRETT HOSTED A WEEK LONG CG SYMPOSIUM WITH
HUNDREDS OF SECTOR NEW ORLEANS PERSONNEL, WHICH INCLUDED A CG
HISTORY DISPLAY, INCLUDING SEVERAL TOURS AND TRANSITS ONBOARD A
HIGGINS TYPE LCPV ACROSS LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND 39FT RHIB FROM
TEXTRON MARINE AND LAND SYSTEMS. THE BODY OF MARVIN PERRETT WILL BE
DONATED TO TULANE MEDICAL CENTER, NEW ORLEANS, LA.
4. THE EFFORTS OF MR. PERRETT WERE LITTLE KNOWN, AND THE MEN WHO
TRANSPORTED AND LANDED TROOPS ON ENEMY BEACHES HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED
BY HISTORIANS, WRITERS AND FILM PRODUCERS; HOWEVER, WITHOUT
INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS MR. PERRETT, THESE INVASIONS WOULD NOT HAVE
BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
BT
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