MERVOSH-MICHAEL

“IRON  MIKE”  -  A  MARINE’S  MARINE

Michael Mervosh was born June 14, 1923, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.  Historical records report that the day following the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack he tried to enlist in the Marine Corps and later said he “wanted to fight to be the man that was in the thick of it doing his duty for the country he loved.”  However, his family insisted he complete high school and thus he did not enlist until September 1942.  Following recruit training at Parris Island he was one of the first Marines to be sent to the new 4^th Marine Division then forming at Camp Pendleton.  His first taste of combat came when he landed on Roi-Namur and continued to the Marianas where he landed on Saipan where he suffered his first battle injuries, and Tinian.

Although he found these battles to be tough, he has said they were nothing compared to his next battle at Iwo Jima where he was in combat for 36 days.  Records report that 240 Marines of his company landed on the island but only 31 were able to walk off after the battle.  During the battle Mervosh was reportedly wounded three times.  On one occasion he was hit by shrapnel requiring morphine, but after having “M” marked on his forehead he wiped if off and returned to the battle as he refused to be evacuated to a hospital ship for treatment.  This was typical of him as he refused evacuation each time he was injured so he could stay with his Marines.  On another occasion he raised binoculars to view the reported U.S. flag mounted on Mount Suribachi when a sniper’s bullet hit the side of his cartridge belt and another round struck his left ear.  When injuries made him the senior man, Mervosh assumed acting command of his company.  After a replacement officer arrived and had to be evacuated due to injuries, he became acting commander of the company a second time.  He was later quoted as saying that during the fighting his right arm got sore because he threw more grenades than he fired his rifle.  In later years when asked if he saw the famous U.S. flag-raising on Iwo, his reply was typical when he said, “No.  I was too busy killing and fighting the enemy and saving my rear end.”

Mervosh remained on active duty following World War II, fought in Korea and did two tours in Vietnam where he survived a Huey crash armed with only a .45 and his guts, which his men said he had in abundance.  He was said to be ramrod straight in his posture, looked like a bulldog, talked like he ate glass and washed it down with napalm.  During an interview late in his life he was asked, “What was you Military Occupational Specialty code?”  He replied, “I’m a killer.  Killer was my MOS.”

After 35 years of service, his final duty assignment before retirement in 1977 was as Fleet Marine Force Pacific Sergeant Major, the largest field command in the Marine Corps.  At the time of his retirement, Mervosh held the record for being the longest-serving Staff Non-Commissioned Officer (19½ years) in all of the U.S. services.  He died on October 31, 2017, and is buried at Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery in Oceanside, California, next to his wife who predeceased him in 2011.

SGTMAJ Michael “Iron Mike” Mervosh, USMC (Ret), has been known throughout the Marine Corps as a Marine’s Marine who impacted hundreds of Marines by his leadership and service.  He was reportedly decorated for valor in combat eleven times and earned thirteen battle stars in three wars, truly earning the definition of “legend.”  His name currently graces a large lounge at the Camp Pendleton social center where his memorabilia line the walls and glass cases, and his dress blues uniform is displayed with all his medals.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)