Sgt. John Basilone, who Gen. MacArthur called “a one-man army,” was the only U.S. Marine to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross, our country’s two highest awards for military bravery.
During the battle of Henderson Field in Guadalcanal, Basilone — with only his machine gun, pistol and machete — held off a Japanese regiment of 3,000 soldiers for nearly two days until reinforcements arrived.
Later, Basilone was present for the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The Japanese, who were in a fortified blockhouse, fired on U.S. Marines as they landed on the island. His unit was pinned down, so he headed out alone, making his way around the side of the Japanese position until he was directly on top of the blockhouse, which he destroyed with grenades and demolitions.
He then fought his way through open ground to safely guide a Marine tank through an enemy mine field, all while under fire. During this effort he was killed by Japanese mortar shrapnel on Feb. 19, 1945, and is remembered as one of the greatest heroes in our military’s history.
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