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Birth and Early Life:
Wyvon Myrick was born in Kentucky around the year 1912, and was raised in South Fulton, Tennessee by his parents Lee and Kate. The Myrick parents both worked for the telephone company, while one of Wyvon's older sisters taught at a public school. While not wealthy, the family was well-off enough that eighteen-year-old Wyvon could complete high school.
Enlistment and Boot Camp:
Wyvon enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 28, 1933. After completing his training at Parris Island, the newly-made Private Myrick was sent to the barracks at Norfolk Navy Yard.
Service Prior to World War II:
Myrick stayed at Norfolk until May, 1935; he boarded the USS Chaumont for a long sea voyage which culminated in his debarkation in the Philippines. In July, he arrived at Olongapo Naval Station, where he became part of the barracks detachment. He did well at Olongapo, reaching the rank of PFC in October, 1936, and was listed on the muster rolls as PE Attendant he was known as a rough customer on the basketball court. Myrick's first tour in the Philippines ended in 1937 by September, he was back in California, on his way to the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. With his enlistment up, Myrick reenlisted in the Marine reserves in New York and was promoted to corporal, serving with them until March 1939 when he returned to the regular Corps. Although reenlisting meant giving up his two stripes, Myrick soon earned back his regular rank of Private First Class and went overseas again in February 1940, when he joined Company D, First Battalion, Fourth Marines. With his corporal rank reinstated, Myrick served under Lieutenant Noel Castle for the remainder of 1940. In the early summer of 1941, Myrick was transferred as a sergeant to the First Separate Marine battalion at Cavite Navy Yard, Philippine Islands. He was one of the first China Marines to arrive at Cavite to form the battalion's Company D. Myrick was at Cavite long enough to gain something of a reputation with the Marines of the barracks there both on the basketball court, where he and PFC Rufus W. Smith were known as a wrecking crew called in for aggressive play when the Marines were in danger of losing and at the bars, where as the Jitterbug Man of Cavite he managed to attract any number of eligible ladies. PFC Glenn McDole, one of Myrick's friends at Cavite, recalled the fun of going on liberty with Squeaky Myrick his dancing always attracted the ladies, and I could sit for hours nursing a rum and coke and talking to the young women who waited to dance with Squeaky. Myrick wouldn't mind if Mac hit it off with one of the ladies: his wife, Catherine Myrick, was waiting back in Chicago. Of course, Myrick's duties were not entirely leisurely; as international relations with the Japanese worsened, the Americans spent less time at social functions and more time preparing the Philippines for defense.
Wartime Service:
Shortly after the Japanese attack on the Philippines began, Sergeant Myrick was sent to Third Battalion, Fourth Marines. After a few days with Company L, he joined Company M and became one of a number of men send to man defensive positions on Fort Hughes, a smaller fort near the island of Corregidor. While they were not subjected to the intensity of fire directed at Corregidor, the men at Hughes could see their comrades being plastered by seemingly continuous artillery and aerial bombing. Myrick and his comrades endured shelling as well as a monotonous diet and the knowledge that their position was less than hopeful. As a final gesture for his years of service, Myrick was promoted to Platoon Sergeant on a temporary warrant on April 18, 1942.
Date Of Loss:
As the Japanese prepared for their invasion of Corregidor, they turned their attention to the outlying support batteries. Myrick, as part of a regimental weapons company, was probably in charge of some of the heavy .50 caliber machine guns emplacements prime targets for Japanese shells. Corporal Glenn McDole related the story of Squeaky Myrick's last moments.
Waves of planes hit the island in a continuous air bombardment. Mac decided he needed a safer refuge and ran for a small foxhole. When he jumped in he almost landed on Squeaky Myrick, and the two friends sat with heads down and tried to talk of better times while the bombs and artillery shells dropped around them. What happened to your buddy, Smith Squeaky asked. I don't have any idea where in hell Smitty went, Mac said. No one has seen hide nor hair of him or Roy Henderson since the Japs bombed the Navy Yard at Cavite. Just as Mac had answered Squeaky, a bomb hit nearby. Mac, it's getting too hot in here for me, he yelled, let's get the hell outta here! Dammit! Mac yelled, I'm not about to stick my head out of this hole! With shells falling all around them, Squeaky panicked. Mac watched, dumbfounded, as Squeaky jumped out of the gun emplacement and ran toward one of the bigger emplacements about 15 yards away. It happened in a split second. Squeaky jumped in just as a shell hit the emplacement dead center. Mac watched in horror as Squeaky and the others in the shelter were blown to bits. With body parts scattered over the area, Mac buried his head and cried remembering Squeaky Myrick: a likable guy, a good sergeant, and a man who loved dancing, basketball, and the Corps.
Myrick last appears on the muster rolls of the regiment on May 6, 1942; however, his exact date of death is unknown.
Next Of Kin:
Wife, Mrs. Catherine Myrick
Status Of Remains:
Unknown; lost on Fort Hughes.
Memorial:
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Philippines.
