Marine Corps·Mission eliminated·In Memoriam
Paramarines
Paramarines
Served: 1940–1944
Marine paratroopers — volunteers, unmarried only, 40% washout rate — trained for vertical envelopment of Pacific objectives.
The Story
In their entire four-year existence the Paramarines never made a single combat jump — except OSS officer Peter Ortiz, who later parachuted into occupied France. Their October 1943 raid on Choiseul Island was conducted by boat.
Epitaph
“Three battalions of paratroopers. Zero combat jumps.”
Sources
- Wikipedia — Paramarinesen.wikipedia.org