His friends would remember Thomas McCay as a "sharp kid" from New Jersey, a demolitions expert who was ready with a practical joke. Many of them made copies of a photograph of McCay, dressed in immaculate whites and wearing a chef's hat, "amputating" a friend's leg with a hacksaw while preparing the daily chow for Able Company.
McCay specialized in demolitions, and seemed to have an aura of the untouchable about him. While en route to Saipan, McCay decided to try his luck in a craps game and, after pooling money with a friend, proceed to throw three consecutive fives in one of the greatest examples of daring and luck that many present had ever seen. It seemed a little too convenient to a participating sailor, who had just lost some money, and he accused the Marines of using loaded dice. McCay and his friend were hard pressed to defend themselves; "we were lucky not to get thrown into the sea!" After dividing their winnings, the two found that they had a substantial amount of loose change left over. McCay immediately tossed his pile overboard, rationalizing that they "wouldn't need coins where they were going, anyway." The Marines stashed the bills they had won.
Even in battle, McCay maintained the air of the invincible. The company was spending their second night on Saipan, endured a terrific shellacking by enemy artillery, and had lost four killed and 25 wounded. After the fracas, the Marines saw McCay coming back from "blowing something up" in Japanese territory with a buddy; swaggering back into the lines in fine spirits, just like the "typical Jersey guy" that he was.
His friends would also remember McCay's final moments on Saipan, in June of 1944. Seeing a fellow Marine wounded in the open, McCay weighed the options and, knowing that he would likely be hit himself, ran out to try to save the wounded man.
Thomas McCay was shot in the chest and killed in his valiant rescue attempt. He was later buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery.
McCay specialized in demolitions, and seemed to have an aura of the untouchable about him. While en route to Saipan, McCay decided to try his luck in a craps game and, after pooling money with a friend, proceed to throw three consecutive fives in one of the greatest examples of daring and luck that many present had ever seen. It seemed a little too convenient to a participating sailor, who had just lost some money, and he accused the Marines of using loaded dice. McCay and his friend were hard pressed to defend themselves; "we were lucky not to get thrown into the sea!" After dividing their winnings, the two found that they had a substantial amount of loose change left over. McCay immediately tossed his pile overboard, rationalizing that they "wouldn't need coins where they were going, anyway." The Marines stashed the bills they had won.
Even in battle, McCay maintained the air of the invincible. The company was spending their second night on Saipan, endured a terrific shellacking by enemy artillery, and had lost four killed and 25 wounded. After the fracas, the Marines saw McCay coming back from "blowing something up" in Japanese territory with a buddy; swaggering back into the lines in fine spirits, just like the "typical Jersey guy" that he was.
His friends would also remember McCay's final moments on Saipan, in June of 1944. Seeing a fellow Marine wounded in the open, McCay weighed the options and, knowing that he would likely be hit himself, ran out to try to save the wounded man.
Thomas McCay was shot in the chest and killed in his valiant rescue attempt. He was later buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery.
His friends would remember Thomas McCay as a "sharp kid" from New Jersey, a demolitions expert who was ready with a practical joke. Many of them made copies of a photograph of McCay, dressed in immaculate whites and wearing a chef's hat, "amputating" a friend's leg with a hacksaw while preparing the daily chow for Able Company.
McCay specialized in demolitions, and seemed to have an aura of the untouchable about him. While en route to Saipan, McCay decided to try his luck in a craps game and, after pooling money with a friend, proceed to throw three consecutive fives in one of the greatest examples of daring and luck that many present had ever seen. It seemed a little too convenient to a participating sailor, who had just lost some money, and he accused the Marines of using loaded dice. McCay and his friend were hard pressed to defend themselves; "we were lucky not to get thrown into the sea!" After dividing their winnings, the two found that they had a substantial amount of loose change left over. McCay immediately tossed his pile overboard, rationalizing that they "wouldn't need coins where they were going, anyway." The Marines stashed the bills they had won.
Even in battle, McCay maintained the air of the invincible. The company was spending their second night on Saipan, endured a terrific shellacking by enemy artillery, and had lost four killed and 25 wounded. After the fracas, the Marines saw McCay coming back from "blowing something up" in Japanese territory with a buddy; swaggering back into the lines in fine spirits, just like the "typical Jersey guy" that he was.
His friends would also remember McCay's final moments on Saipan, in June of 1944. Seeing a fellow Marine wounded in the open, McCay weighed the options and, knowing that he would likely be hit himself, ran out to try to save the wounded man.
Thomas McCay was shot in the chest and killed in his valiant rescue attempt. He was later buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery.
McCay specialized in demolitions, and seemed to have an aura of the untouchable about him. While en route to Saipan, McCay decided to try his luck in a craps game and, after pooling money with a friend, proceed to throw three consecutive fives in one of the greatest examples of daring and luck that many present had ever seen. It seemed a little too convenient to a participating sailor, who had just lost some money, and he accused the Marines of using loaded dice. McCay and his friend were hard pressed to defend themselves; "we were lucky not to get thrown into the sea!" After dividing their winnings, the two found that they had a substantial amount of loose change left over. McCay immediately tossed his pile overboard, rationalizing that they "wouldn't need coins where they were going, anyway." The Marines stashed the bills they had won.
Even in battle, McCay maintained the air of the invincible. The company was spending their second night on Saipan, endured a terrific shellacking by enemy artillery, and had lost four killed and 25 wounded. After the fracas, the Marines saw McCay coming back from "blowing something up" in Japanese territory with a buddy; swaggering back into the lines in fine spirits, just like the "typical Jersey guy" that he was.
His friends would also remember McCay's final moments on Saipan, in June of 1944. Seeing a fellow Marine wounded in the open, McCay weighed the options and, knowing that he would likely be hit himself, ran out to try to save the wounded man.
Thomas McCay was shot in the chest and killed in his valiant rescue attempt. He was later buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery.
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