Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of October 24–25, 1942. Following his return to the United States, he participated in War Bond tours during the summer of 1943. Although offered a stateside assignment, Basilone requested a return to combat duty and was approved for overseas service in December 1943. He was subsequently assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, and joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division.
On February 19, 1945, during the invasion of Iwo Jima, Basilone landed with his unit as a machine-gun section leader. Demonstrating the same courage that had earned him the Medal of Honor, he led his Marines through intense enemy fire and personally helped destroy a heavily defended Japanese blockhouse that was impeding the advance. Later, while assisting a tank trapped in a Japanese minefield, he came under heavy mortar and artillery fire and was killed in action on February 19, 1945.
Basilone was initially buried on Iwo Jima. In April 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the United States and reinterred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
#historyadventures #usmc #worldwarii #iwojima #johnbasilone #worldwar2history #sfrproductions #medalofhonor
Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of October 24–25, 1942. Following his return to the United States, he participated in War Bond tours during the summer of 1943. Although offered a stateside assignment, Basilone requested a return to combat duty and was approved for overseas service in December 1943. He was subsequently assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, and joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division.
On February 19, 1945, during the invasion of Iwo Jima, Basilone landed with his unit as a machine-gun section leader. Demonstrating the same courage that had earned him the Medal of Honor, he led his Marines through intense enemy fire and personally helped destroy a heavily defended Japanese blockhouse that was impeding the advance. Later, while assisting a tank trapped in a Japanese minefield, he came under heavy mortar and artillery fire and was killed in action on February 19, 1945.
Basilone was initially buried on Iwo Jima. In April 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the United States and reinterred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
#historyadventures #usmc #worldwarii #iwojima #johnbasilone #worldwar2history #sfrproductions #medalofhonor
