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86-year-old Steve Marusich of Ivanhoe, CA appears on episode #138 of Hometown Heroes, debuting October 30, 2010.
February 21, 1945 is a day Marusich will never forget. Now 86 years old, the Purple Heart recipient feels grateful to have survived that day, and the sinking of the carrier USS Bismarck Sea(CVE-95) off of Iwo Jima.

That’s Steve demonstrating the Navy-issued life preserver that helped him stay afloat for more than three hours, with Japanese airplanes strafing the water within fifteen feet of him. Listen to Marusich tell his World War II story on Hometown Heroes. A native of Binghamton, NY, Steve worked in an IBM factory, drilling holes in 20MM cannons until enlisting in the Navy. As an observational gunner facing backwards on a TBF Avenger torpedo bomber, he flew sorties off of the USS Bismarck Sea in the battles of Leyte and Lingayen Gulf before the carrier arrived at Iwo Jima on February 16.



For more photos of Steve, then and now, visit the Hometown Heroes Facebook Page. Listen to the program to hear him describe how he experienced the impact of one kamikaze plane, and then another, and the sinking of his ship. Hear him describe the unique vantage point he had for the flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi, and the symbolic value that famous image carries for him still today. You’ll also hear him read a poem one of his fellow survivors wrote, a poem that puts the horrific ordeal of that February night in 1945 in powerful perspective.



If that print is too small to read, click on the photo for a larger version. After surviving an event that cost the lives of more than 300 American servicemen, Steve made the most of his second chance. After earning a master’s degree at Stanford, he stayed in California, raised a family, and enjoyed a long career as a teacher and principal in Tulare County. A three-time Visalia Country Club champion, Steve still plays golf three days a week, last shot his age at 74, and is in search of his fourth career hole-in-one. Thanks to Rick Turner of Visalia Country Club for his hospitality and help. They make a mean breakfast there, by the way. If you know Steve Marusich, please thank him for serving our country, and for keeping the memory of his shipmates alive.