World War II Honoree

Daniel William 'Dan' Crossley

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Moore, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

Relationship Not Determined

A MEMBER OF THE OKLAHOMA CHOCTAW NATION AMERICAN INDIAN TRIBE, HE SERVED INITIALLY IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AND THEN OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER ABOARD THE ATTACK TRANSPORT SHIP USS ORMSBY (APA-49) DURING THE WAR. PARTICIPATED IN SOME 17 ENGAGEMENTS, INCLUDING 6 CAMPAIGNS: GILBERT ISLANDS OPERATION (TARAWA), MARSHALL ISLANDS OPERATION (KWAJALEIN & MAJURO), HOLLANDIA OPERATION (AITAPE), MARIANAS OPERATION (GUAM), WESTERN CAROLINE ISLANDS OPERATION (PELELIU), AND LEYTE OPERATION (PHILIPPINES). USS ORMSBY SAILED IN JULY, 1943, FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA EN ROUTE TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA TO EMBARK MARINES AND CARGO FOR PEARL HARBOR, ON OAHU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII. THE SHIP LOADED FORCES AND EQUIPMENT AND DEPARTED HAWAII ON AUGUST 14, 1943, FOR NUKUFETAU IN THE ELLICE ISLANDS. THE VESSEL CONTINUED ON TO WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, AND ARRIVED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1943. THERE, THE SHIP CARRIED OUT AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE TRAINING UNTIL THE END OF OCTOBER, 1943. THE WARSHIP SUBSEQUENTLY STEAMED TO TARAWA ATOLL IN THE GILBERT ISLANDS AND LANDED HER TROOPS THERE FOR THE ASSAULT ON NOVEMBER 20, 1943. THE SHIP SAILED AND ARRIVED AT PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7, 1943. ON JANUARY 31, 1944, THE ASSAULT SHIP TOOK PART IN AN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT LANDING AT KWAJALEIN IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS. FOLLOWING THIS OPERATION, SHE MOVED ON TO GUADALCANAL, IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS, IN FEBRUARY, 1944. THERE, TRAINED ARMY UNITS UNTIL MARCH 28, 1944, WHEN SHE LANDED REINFORCEMENTS AT BOUGAINVILLE IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND CONTINUED TO MILNE BAY, IN NEW GUINEA. IN APRIL, 1944, THE SHIP SAILED TO BUNA, FINSCHAFEN AND THEN TO AITAPE, IN NEW GUINEA TO LAND ARMY TROOPS. A REINFORCEMENT VOYAGE TO AITAPE FOLLOWED ON MAY 3, 1944. RETURNING TO THE RUSSELL ISLANDS AND GUADALCANAL, THE ASSAULT SHIP LOADED MARINES, TRAINED THEM IN MAY, AND LANDED THEM ON GUAM ON JULY 21, 1944. WHILE AT GUAM, THE USS ORMSBY SUFFERED HER ONLY CASUALTIES OF THE WAR, WHEN ONE OFFICER AND ONE ENLISTED MAN WERE KILLED AS A SHELL HIT IN THE BOW. USS ORMSBY TRAINED MARINES AT GUADALCANAL PRIOR TO LANDING THEM AT PELELIEU IN THE PALAU ISLANDS. NEXT, PROCEEDED TO HOLLANDIA TO LOAD ARMY UNITS, AND MADE AN ASSAULT AT LEYTE IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON OCTOBER 20, 1944, AND AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 14, 1944. IN THE LATTER PART OF NOVEMBER, 1944, THE VESSEL RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES. THE SHIP LEFT CALIFORNIA WITH SEABEES FROM PORT HUENEME AND SET COURSE FOR GUAM. HIS SHIP ARRIVED ON APRIL 11, 1945, AND RETURNED TO PORTLAND, OREGON ON MAY 22, 1945, WITH RETURNING THEATER SERVICE VETERANS. HIS SHIP ALSO PARTICIPATED IN OPERATION ‘MAGIC CARPET’ AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES. THIS WAS THE CODE NAME FOR THE RAPID RETURN OF SERVICE PERSONNEL BY WARSHIPS AND TRANSPORT VESSELS FROM THEATER TO THE U.S.A. THE SHIP MADE ANOTHER ‘MAGIC CARPET’ RUN WITH VETERANS IN JUNE, 1945, AND RETURNED TO SAN FRANCISCO, VIA TINIAN AND SAIPAN, FROM GUAM ON JULY 13, 1945. SHE DEPARTED SAN FRANCISCO ON JULY 31, 1945, EN ROUTE TO MANILA IN THE PHILIPPINES, TO EMBARK MEMBERS OF ARMY OCCUPATION FORCES AND ARRIVED IN TOKYO, JAPAN ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1945. THE SHIP RETURNED TO GUAM, WEATHERING A TYPHOON, AND EMBARKED TROOPS FOR QINGDAO, CHINA AND PARTICIPATED IN OCCUPATION LANDINGS THERE. HIS VESSEL SAILED ON OCTOBER 17, 1945, TO MANILA, AND THEN TO HAIPHONG IN FRENCH INDOCHINA, WHERE SHE EMBARKED CHINESE ARMY FORCES BOUND FOR FORMOSA. SHE LANDED THE CHINESE OCCUPATION FORCES ON NOVEMBER 18, 1945, AND SAILED FOR MANILA AND ARRIVED ON NOVEMBER 21, 1945. THE SHIP MADE ONE MORE ‘MAGIC CARPET’ VOYAGE TO PORTLAND, OREGON, ARRIVING ON DECEMBER 20, 1945. AWARDED THE COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, CHINA SERVICE MEDAL (EXTENDED), AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 1 SILVER & 1 BRONZE SERVICE STARS (6 CAMPAIGNS), WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND NAVY OCCUPATION SERVICE MEDAL WITH ‘ASIA’ CLASP. ALSO AWARDED THE PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN ACTION AGAINST JAPAN BY HIS SHIP, AND PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL FOR SERVICE BY HIS SHIP IN THE LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES BETWEEN OCTOBER 17, 1944 AND SEPTEMBER 3, 1945. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.