John Basilone
U.S. Marine; Medal of Honor recipient
Born: Nov. 4, 1916, in Buffalo, New York
Grew up in: Raritan, New Jersey
Died: Feb. 19, 1945, in Iwo Jima
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2011: Historical
No enlisted man achieved more honors for heroism during World War II than John Basilone, a Marine sergeant who perished in the first fierce day of fighting on the beach at Iwo Jima.
The son of an Italian immigrant father and a first-generation American mother (also descended from Italian immigrants), Basilone was the sixth of 10 children. Basilone graduated from middle school at St. Bernard Parochial School, but dropped out before completing high school. He enlisted in the Army before his 18th birthday and completed a three-year tour of duty, stationed for a time in the Philippines, where has was a champion boxer.
After leaving the service, Basilone returned to Jersey and drove a truck, but with war clouds looming, he re-enlisted, this time in the Marines. He was deployed overseas to the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal, where, on October 24, 1942, his unit came under attack by a numerically superior Japanese force during the pivotal Battle for Henderson Field. Basilone commanded two sections of machine gunners; after two days of fighting, only he and two other Marines were left standing.
With ammunition running low and cut off by the Japanese, Basilone fought through enemy lines to resupply his remaining machine gunners. Returning to his position and reinforced with replacement troops, he kept the guns going against incoming Japanese. When ammunition ran out, he fought with his pistol and machete until the enemy relented.
For his bravery, Basilone received the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor. Described by Gen. Douglas MacArthur as “a one-man army,” Basilone returned Stateside to participate in war-bond tours. He was warmly greeted wherever he went, especially in his New Jersey hometown, where a huge parade in his honor attracted national press coverage.
Eager to get back into action, Basilone requested a return to the battlefront. Marine Corps brass felt Basilone had greater value on the home front and repeatedly denied his requests. Finally, he was allowed to re-enlist. Sent for training to Camp Pendleton, California, he met his future wife, Lena Mae Riggi, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. They married on July 10, 1944.
Once again sent to the Pacific Theater, Basilone was serving as a machine-gun section leader on Feb. 19, 1945, on the first day of the landing on Iwo Jima. With his unit pinned down on the landing beach, Basilone made his way behind a key Japanese position and single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse with grenades and other explosives
Moving inland, Basilone came to the aid of a Marine tank trapped in a mine field. Amid intense enemy fire, he guided the tank to safety, but suffered a series of wounds that proved fatal. For his heroism, Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps’ second-highest decoration for valor.
Today, Basilone’s hometown of Raritan honors its hero with an annual parade. Bridges and roads in the area and a high school football field are named in his memory, as are military and civilian locations throughout the country. A residence Hall of Montclair State University is named for Basilone is were two U.S. Navy ships. Basilone is buried under a simple headstone in Arlington National Cemetery.