Shell remained in command of his battalion for next several months and took part in the amphibious landing on Saipan in Mariana Islands in June 1944. He was wounded by mortar fragments during the night attack on the second day of the battle and evacuated from the island. His wounds requested special care and Shell was ordered back to the United States in July 1944. He subsequently received the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for his leadership of the battalion in the Pacific theater and also the Purple Heart for his wounds. Shell then spent several months in Naval Hospital in San Diego.