Marvin Lee Ramsden was born on 2 January 1919 at Pleasant Lake, North Dakota. He enlisted in the Navy on 21 May 1936 and reported for duty on on 8 October 1936. During the Battle of the Coral Sea on 8 May 1942, Coxswain Ramsden, a member of Lexington's crew throughout his career, remained at his exposed station, despite wounds, continuing to operate a rangefinder in the face of intense Japanese strafing and dive-bombing attacks until he died. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.
