Memorial Day heroes

[Millhouse]

This thread is dedicated to all those that lost their lives during their service to the country. As opposed to being a generic topic, post about an individual that sacrificed it all from the Revolution through the current wars in the Middle East. Whether it is brief, a link, or a novel like below, it's all good. 

I'll start with John Basilone, one of America's legendary soldiers of all time. He was the only marine in WW2 to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

To be brief, he joined the army in 1934 at 18 years old. After he few years he left the service, but went back in the service joining the Marines in 1940. He was a sergeant in the Marines 1st Division as the war broke out. The first action he saw was the first major action for the Marines in the pacific, Guadalcanal. He commanded a couple of sections of heavy machine guns which played a vital role in winning that battle, and in which he received the highest honor that can be given to a serviceman. Below is an excerpt from Medal of Honor Society webpage:

Quote:For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machine guns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

He would be sent back home to the states to sell war bonds after the battle, having risen to the rank of a celebrity. His war was over, or at least could have been if chose to. However by end of 1943, his request to leave this tour of duty to go back and train newly recruited Marines was approved. He would be married in July 1944, and once again he requested to go back into combat with the men he trained.

On February 19th, 1945, he was part of the 5th Marines Division that landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima as a gunnery sergeant, just like he did back on Guadalcanal, having turned down a commission to be an officer. Within a couple of hours of helping spearhead the American assault on Iwo, he was killed in action almost instantly. His actions in that brief amount of time helped many marines get off the beach to begin penetrating the Japanese defenses. For a more detailed description : http://www.basiloneparade.com/citation-ij.htm

He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, which is the second highest honor given to a Marine behind the Medal of Honor, which he already had. His body would eventually be brought back to the U.S., and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. His wife of less than a year never remarried, and she passed away back in 1999. In 1949 a Navy destroyer was commissioned USS Basilone, and in 2019 there will be modern age destroyer commissioned the same name. A very good depiction of him is shown in the HBO series "The Pacific". He was one of the three main characters the show revolved around.



http://www.marineswwii.com/john_basilone.php
http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2627/basilone-john.php
http://www.basiloneparade.com/citation-ij.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Basilone
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/basilone.html