John Basilone

John Basilone
Basilone in 1943
Nickname(s)"Manila John"
Born(1916 -11-04)November 4, 1916
Buffalo, New York, U.S.[1][2]
DiedFebruary 19, 1945(1945-02-19) (aged 28)
Airfield Number 1, Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, Japanese Empire
Buried
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
United States Marine Corps
Years of service1934–1937
1940–1945
RankGunnery sergeant
Unit
Battles / wars
Awards
Spouse(s)
Lena Mae Riggi
(m. 1944)

John Basilone (November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal campaign, and the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was the only enlisted Marine to receive both of these decorations in World War II.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 3, 1940, after serving three years in the United States Army with duty in the Philippines. He was deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and in August 1942, he took part in the invasion of Guadalcanal. In October, he and the two machine-gun sections under his command held off an attack by a numerically far superior Japanese force. He was one of only three Marines in that group to survive. His actions at Guadalcanal earned him the Medal of Honor.

In February 1945, he was killed in action on the first day of the invasion of Iwo Jima, after he single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse and led a Marine tank under fire safely through a minefield. Including the Medal of Honor, he has received many honors, including having base streets, military facilities, and two United States Navy destroyers named in his honor.

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NJ.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).