Posted on Feb 19, 2018
US Marine John Basilone Congressional Medal Of Honor
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The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to
SERGEANT
JOHN “MANILLA JOHN” BASILONE
MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant John Manila John” Basilone (MCSN: 287506), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24 – 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines’ defensive positions, Sergeant Basilone, in charge of two sections of heavy machineguns, 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 Sergeant Basilone’s sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only two 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, Sergeant 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.
http://www.victoryinstitute.net/blogs/utb/1942/10/24/john-basilone-medal-of-honor-citation/
SERGEANT
JOHN “MANILLA JOHN” BASILONE
MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant John Manila John” Basilone (MCSN: 287506), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24 – 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines’ defensive positions, Sergeant Basilone, in charge of two sections of heavy machineguns, 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 Sergeant Basilone’s sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only two 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, Sergeant 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.
http://www.victoryinstitute.net/blogs/utb/1942/10/24/john-basilone-medal-of-honor-citation/
Medal of Honor
WWII World War Two
Marines
Military History
Honor
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 12
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Thanks SGT John " Mac " McConnell for honoring John Basilone who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24 – 25 October 1942.
Image: John Basilone; John Basilone; 1945 John Basilone's headstone in Arlington National Cemetery section_12_site_384; 1942 A machine position on Guadalcanal. During a Japanese attack in 1942 Basilone picked up a .30-caliber machine gun, ran 200 yards, and fired point-blank at the Japanese.
BASILONE, JOHN
Rank: Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Marine Corps
Company: Division:
Born: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, N.Y.
Departed: Yes
Accredited To: New Jersey
Citation
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 machineguns, 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."
http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2627/basilone-john.php
"Death on Iwo Jima
In late December 1943, after requesting once again to return to the Pacific, Gunnery Sergeant Basilone was assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, where he was assigned to a unit training to deploy to the Pacific. While there, he fell in love with a female Marine sergeant, Lena Mae Riggi. They dated a few months, then married in July 1944. After a short honeymoon on her parent’s farm in Oregon, Basilone’s unit got orders to sail to the Pacific and Manila John shipped out before Christmas 1944. He never saw his wife again.
Although he did not know it at the time he left Camp Pendleton, Basilone was destined to participate in the Marine amphibious landings on Iwo Jima. This strategically situated eight-square-mile island, located halfway between Tokyo and Saipan, had two good airfields. Since these airfields were only 660 miles—or three hours flying time—from Tokyo, this meant that B-29s flying from Iwo could be escorted all the way to their Japanese targets by P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts. But, while this made Iwo Jima a critical piece of real estate for future Allied combat operations against the Japanese homeland, there were some 21,000 Japanese defenders on the island; the conquest of Iwo Jima would not be easy.In any event, on February 19, 1945, Basilone waded ashore with his platoon on Red Beach II, located on the southern tip of the island near Mt. Suribachi. It was D-day, and Basilone was a machine-gun section leader in Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division.
Enemy fire from heavily fortified bunkers was murderous, and everyone was pinned down in the black volcanic sand on the beach. Basilone, recognizing that his men would survive only if they kept moving, yelled at them to “Get off the beach!” Then, shrewdly gauging the tactical situation, he worked his way around the flank, singlehandedly attacking and destroying a Japanese blockhouse with grenades and demolitions, which allowed his unit to capture a nearby airfield.
A short time later, Basilone helped a Marine tank that had become trapped in an enemy minefield and was in danger of being destroyed by mortar and artillery fire. Despite the rain of exploding shells all around him, Basilone managed to guide the tank to safety. But then his luck ran out. Just minutes later, while moving along the edge of an airfield, shrapnel from an exploding mortar shell grievously wounded him. “Manila John” Basilone died about 30 minutes later. He was 27 years old."
From warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/manila-john-basilone-marine-hero-of-guadalcanal-and-iwo-jima/
FYI LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. LTC (Join to see) CPT Gabe Snell Capt Tom Brown Capt Seid Waddell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) SCPO Morris RamseySP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT Robert George SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey CPL Eric Escasio Cpl Joshua Caldwell
Image: John Basilone; John Basilone; 1945 John Basilone's headstone in Arlington National Cemetery section_12_site_384; 1942 A machine position on Guadalcanal. During a Japanese attack in 1942 Basilone picked up a .30-caliber machine gun, ran 200 yards, and fired point-blank at the Japanese.
BASILONE, JOHN
Rank: Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Marine Corps
Company: Division:
Born: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, N.Y.
Departed: Yes
Accredited To: New Jersey
Citation
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 machineguns, 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."
http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2627/basilone-john.php
"Death on Iwo Jima
In late December 1943, after requesting once again to return to the Pacific, Gunnery Sergeant Basilone was assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, where he was assigned to a unit training to deploy to the Pacific. While there, he fell in love with a female Marine sergeant, Lena Mae Riggi. They dated a few months, then married in July 1944. After a short honeymoon on her parent’s farm in Oregon, Basilone’s unit got orders to sail to the Pacific and Manila John shipped out before Christmas 1944. He never saw his wife again.
Although he did not know it at the time he left Camp Pendleton, Basilone was destined to participate in the Marine amphibious landings on Iwo Jima. This strategically situated eight-square-mile island, located halfway between Tokyo and Saipan, had two good airfields. Since these airfields were only 660 miles—or three hours flying time—from Tokyo, this meant that B-29s flying from Iwo could be escorted all the way to their Japanese targets by P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts. But, while this made Iwo Jima a critical piece of real estate for future Allied combat operations against the Japanese homeland, there were some 21,000 Japanese defenders on the island; the conquest of Iwo Jima would not be easy.In any event, on February 19, 1945, Basilone waded ashore with his platoon on Red Beach II, located on the southern tip of the island near Mt. Suribachi. It was D-day, and Basilone was a machine-gun section leader in Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division.
Enemy fire from heavily fortified bunkers was murderous, and everyone was pinned down in the black volcanic sand on the beach. Basilone, recognizing that his men would survive only if they kept moving, yelled at them to “Get off the beach!” Then, shrewdly gauging the tactical situation, he worked his way around the flank, singlehandedly attacking and destroying a Japanese blockhouse with grenades and demolitions, which allowed his unit to capture a nearby airfield.
A short time later, Basilone helped a Marine tank that had become trapped in an enemy minefield and was in danger of being destroyed by mortar and artillery fire. Despite the rain of exploding shells all around him, Basilone managed to guide the tank to safety. But then his luck ran out. Just minutes later, while moving along the edge of an airfield, shrapnel from an exploding mortar shell grievously wounded him. “Manila John” Basilone died about 30 minutes later. He was 27 years old."
From warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/manila-john-basilone-marine-hero-of-guadalcanal-and-iwo-jima/
FYI LTC Stephen C. Maj William W. "Bill" Price LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. LTC (Join to see) CPT Gabe Snell Capt Tom Brown Capt Seid Waddell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) SCPO Morris RamseySP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT Robert George SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey CPL Eric Escasio Cpl Joshua Caldwell
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