Marshall Axcell
Petty Officer First Class (PO1) Navy 1933 - 1945 USS California
USS California's (BB-44) "IRON MAN"

Sponsored by Mike Bender

I am dedicating this page to Marshall Axcell "Iron Man". He and my father, Martin Bender, and many other fathers, sons, or brothers were assigned to the USS California (BB-44) in the late 1930?s prior to WWII. The California and numerous other Battleships of the Pacific Fleet competed annually for the "Iron Man" award. The Department of the Navy's annual trophy presented to the Battleship whose combined scores in various sports were the best of the fleet. Every ship fielded a Football, Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Rowing, Tennis, Basketball, and other sports teams that competed against each other as the fleet moved around the Pacific.

Marshal Axcell was a stellar athlete for the battleship California. Our Navy Magazine wrote in their July 1939 edition "the California convincingly carried the 1939 athletic objective, reaching Olympic heights in every event on the Iron Man calendar." They also wrote in their January 1940 issue when he left the ship "Many fans and Bear Rooters will miss Marshall Axcell at Trona Field, San Pedro, CA. or anywhere the USS California is engaged in athletic events." They went on to say,"He will be well remembered for his long and towering kicks on the gridiron, his long hits on the baseball diamond, his defensive work on the basketball court and his speed in the breast-stroke on the California's All Navy swimming team. Whenever an athlete was needed Marshall always answered the call. He shot a 79 on the golf links, played a good game of tennis and on several occasions was called to the boxing ring in which he always made a good account of himself."

My father, Marshall Axcell, Robert R. Scott, Louis Rash, Cullen Clark, Edward Davis, Marlyn Nelson, Howard Adkins, and many others contributed to the USS California winning the "Iron Man" trophy in 1939. Little is known about the Iron Man and those great Sailors and Marines who played on the teams prior to bombing Pearl Harbor and WWII. Marshall Axcell is a true IRON MAN and still is.