U.S. Navy To Name Transport Ship In Memory Of Bucks Co. Hero

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The next San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (LPD 33) will bear the name USS Travis Manion honoring Bucks County hero, 1st Lieutenant Travis Manion, who died while serving his country in 2007.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro made the announcement at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on January 10 during a ceremony with the Doylestown-based Travis Manion Foundation.

The future USS Travis Manion will honor the Silver Star recipient on his life and service. It will be the first Navy vessel named for Manion, who was 26 when he was fatally wounded by sniper fire in Iraq.

“The San Antonio-class amphibious ship represents the combined power of the Navy and Marine Corps team and relies on the seamless integration of Sailors and Marines working together,” said Del Toro. “Here, at his alma mater, I am proud to announce that the next San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, LPD 33, will be named USS Travis Manion, serving as a symbol of courage, bravery, and selfless service for all who follow in her wake.”

The future USS Travis Manion will honor Silver Star recipient, 1st Lieutenant Travis Manion, and his service. (U.S. Department of the Navy)

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro makes the announcement at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on January 10 during a ceremony with the Doylestown-based Travis Manion Foundation. (Department of the Navy)

Born to a Marine family, Manion grew up in Doylestown and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2004. After completion of entry-level officer training, he was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and deployed to Iraq for his first tour of duty. In 2006, he was assigned to a military transition team advising the Iraqi Army and returned to Iraq in December that year.

On patrol in April 2007, Manion and his fellow Marines were ambushed. With his corpsman wounded, Manion exposed himself to enemy fire to recover the corpsman. Attacking the ambushers, Manion again moved through enemy fire to rescue another wounded Marine. With Iraqi reinforcements blocked, Manion again exposed himself to fire in an attempt to find a better fighting position. He was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper. For his actions, he was awarded a Silver Star.

Manion Hall, a student barracks at The Basic School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, is named in his honor.

“The naming of this ship, the USS Travis Manion, is an incredible honor for Travis and our family, and an honor for all of those who stepped up to serve when our country called after September 11, 2001,” said Col. Thomas Manion, USMC, (Ret.) and Chairman Emeritus, Travis Manion Foundation. “Through the words he spoke before his final deployment, ‘If Not Me, Then Who…’, Travis left a legacy of service that lives on through the hundreds of thousands of veterans and families of the fallen across the country who share this ethos. Today, as our men and women continue to serve on the front lines, I know Travis would want this ship to be a tribute to this entire generation of veterans and a reminder to honor and remember their service and sacrifice.”

Along with the ship’s name, Secretary Del Toro announced the sponsors for the USS Travis Manion as sister, Ryan Manion, and nieces Maggie and Honor Borek. They, in their role as sponsors, will represent a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew.

“I never would have thought when we lost my brother Travis in 2007 that I - alongside Travis’ nieces, Maggie and Honor - would one day serve as sponsors of a ship named after him,” said Ryan Manion, CEO of the Travis Manion Foundation. “Travis would be so proud to know that the USS Travis Manion will one day carry Marines - men and women like those he walked beside in the halls of Naval Academy and those he served beside on the battlefield. He’d also be adamant that this honor is not only about him, but about remembering the legacies of all of those who wore the uniform.”

Amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. LPDs are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment, and supplies by embarked Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles (AAV) augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft (MV 22). These ships support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions and serve as secondary aviation platformsfor amphibious operations.

“Five years ago, I joined Travis’s father with a shared vision to honor Travis’s memory in a way that would endure for generations, and yesterday, we saw that vision come to life," said U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick who represents Bucks County.

“Thank you to Secretary Del Toro and all who helped make this moment possible. The USS Travis Manion will forever serve as a lasting tribute to a true American hero, a testament to the highest ideals of selfless service, and an inspiration for generations of Americans to come.”