Navy career

He enlisted in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 18 October 1939. After duty in USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco (CA-38)

USS San Francisco , a New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. She saw extensive action during World War II....

, USS Boise (CL-47)

USS Boise (CL-47)

USS Boise was a United States Navy Brooklyn-class light cruiser. The cruiser was named for Boise, the capital city of the state of Idaho....

, and USS Henderson (DD-785)

USS Henderson (DD-785)

USS Henderson was a of the United States Navy, the second Navy ship of that name, and the first named for United States Marine Corps Major Lofton R. Henderson...

, he was transferred to USS Pecos (AO-6)

USS Pecos (AO-6)

thumb|right|300px|USS Pecos in portUSS Pecos was laid down as Fuel Ship No. 18 on June 2, 1920 by the Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.; reclassified AO–6 on July 17, 1920; launched April 23, 1921; sponsored by Miss Anna S. Hubbard; and commissioned August 25, 1921...

 2 May 1940.

Awarded Silver Star

On 1 March 1942 enemy planes from Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu

Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu

was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Second World War, she took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Port Darwin and raids in the Indian Ocean before being sunk at the Battle of Midway.-Design:...

 attacked and sank Pecos near Christmas Island

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....

. Assigned to an antiaircraft gun, he remained at his post until bomb fragments put the gun out of commission; then he acted as messenger for the commanding officer

Commanding officer

The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

 until fatally wounded. Fireman First Class Marchand was posthumously awarded the Silver Star

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

 for his courageous dedication to duty.

Namesake

USS Marchand (DE-249)

USS Marchand (DE-249)

USS Marchand was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys....

 was named in his honor. The ship was laid down by Brown Shipbuilding

Brown Shipbuilding

The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the US Navy during World War II....

 Co., Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, 30 December 1942; launched 30 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Charles D. Marchand, mother of Fireman First Class Marchand; and commissioned 8 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. F. Lynch, USCG, in command.