Marion Young
| Date and Place of Birth: | September 28, 1922 Madison, WI |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 13, 1944 off Negros Island, The Philippines |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Infield |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Military Unit: | Marine Detachment, USS Nashville, US Marine Corps |
| Area Served: | Pacific Theater of Operations |
Marion P. "Spud" Young, the son of Conrad and Mildred Young, was born
in Madison, Wisconsin, but grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended
North High School, playing baseball, football and basketball, and played
semi-pro baseball as an infielder in Des Moines, before signing
with the Concord Weavers of the North Carolina State League in 1941.
After just a couple of appearances with the team, he joined the Paducah
Indians of the Class D Kitty League, and appeared in 29 games for the
last-place club, playing third base and batting .250. However, his
season was cut short when he was hit above the ear with a pitch which
gave him a severe skull fracture. He was hospitalized for seven weeks.
In 1942, Young joined the Springfield Rifles of the Class A Eastern
League, but was optioned to their Class C Canadian-American League
affiliate, the Utica Braves, at the start of the season. Alongside future major leaguers Reggie
Ortero and Jorge Comellas, Young played every game of the regular season
for the Braves, and batted .242 with 59 RBIs as the team finished in
third place. In a game against Pittsfield on June 28, he handled a
league record 16 chances with seven putouts and nine assists. On July 6,
Young was the starting shortstop for the Northern squad in the
Canadian-American league all-star game. He rejoined Springfield at the
end of the season and appeared in 12 games, batting .125.
Young joined the Marine Corps on December 14, 1942, and, from June 7,
1943, served as part
of the Marine Corps detachment aboard the light cruiser USS Nashville
(CL-43) in the Pacific. In September 1944, the Nashville carried General
MacArthur and his staff to the invasion of Morotai, Dutch East Indies.
She also carried MacArthur on his return to the Philippines, then
provided fire support for the Leyte Island landings in October.
On December 12, 1944, the Nashville set sail for Mindoro Island on the
west coast of the Philippines. There were many operational Japanese
airfields located on Mindanao, Negros and other small islands flanking
the route and most of the Marines were stationed midship on the boat
deck manning the anti-aircraft guns. On the morning of December 13 - one
day shy of Private First Class Young being in the service two years - a
Japanese kamikaze plane appeared from nowhere and crashed into the
Nashville's port-side five-inch gun mount on the main deck. Both bombs
carried by the plane exploded and fire raged in the mid-section of the
ship.
Murlin Spencer, an Associated Press war correspondent, was aboard the
Nashville when it was hit. "A shattering explosion staggers the cruiser
Nashville," he wrote, "as though it had been hit with a giant hammer and
flames leap skyward, trailing a dense cloud of black smoke. For a second
there is complete silence, and then the first cries of the wounded break
the stillness. Out of the smoke and flame a man comes running, shock and
terror showing in his eyes. A sailor grabs him, throws him to the deck
and beats the flames from his shirt and dungarees. The terror subsides
and the man lies quiet." [1]
Marion Young was among the 133 men that were killed that day. A further
190 were wounded. The damaged cruiser limped to safety and was
operational by April 1945.
Young was originally buried at USAF Cemetery Leyte #1, in the Philippine Islands. In late 1948, his remains were returned to the United States and now rest at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
| 1941 | Concord | N. Carolina State | D | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1941 |
Paducah |
Kitty | D | 29 | 96 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | .250 |
| 1942 | Utica | Canadian-American | C | 120 | 418 | 61 | 101 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 59 | .242 |
| 1942 |
Springfield |
Eastern | A | 12 | 32 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .125 |
Marion Young (middle row, first left) with the North High School baseball team in 1941
The Marine Corps detachment aboard the light cruiser USS Nashville (CL-43). Marion Young is back row, third from right.
The light cruiser USS Nashville (CL-43)
The grave of Marion Young at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa
Notes
1. Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, June 21, 1945
Utica Daily Press, May 26, 1942
Utica Daily Press, July 3, 1942
Oswego Palladium-Times, July 7, 1942
Rome Daily Sentinel, January 12, 1945
Utica Observer-Dispatch, January 25, 1949
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with photos for this biography.
Date Added May 31, 2012 Updated August 4, 2017
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