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World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, USMC
John Basilone was KIA on Iwo Jima, 17 February 1945 and was awarded
the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions that day.
Born: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, NY.
Other Awards: Navy Cross and Purple Heart
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.
John Basilone Parade
 This tribute to war hero and Raritan native John Basilone, who died fighting at Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945, has been held since 1981. A Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Basilone was the first enlisted Marine to earn the Medal of Honor in World War II and the only Marine in that war to receive the nation's two highest awards for valor. He was cheered by the town when he came home from fighting at Guadalcanal, where he won the medal, in 1943. Now, at the suggestion of a third grade class, he is honored posthumously in an event that is one of the top veterans' commemorations in the state. Held on the last Sunday in September, the parade is led by the Marine Corps Band from Quantico, Virginia, followed by bands and marching units from all over the Mid-Atlantic region. Huge though it is, the parade is not enough to satisfy Raritan's need to honor its native son. Two bridges and a high school football field are named after him, and the Raritan Public Library houses a museum dedicated to him.
1945
John Basilone, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, dies in battle. He is one of many Italian American honorees of World War II.
The United States established the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1862 as the military's highest award for combat valor. Approximately two dozen such awards have been bestowed on Italian Americans, with thirteen -the largest cohort earned during the Second World War -a supreme testing time for Italian Americans beset by questions of loyalty. To counter such imputation the ethnic community extended itself in many capacities such as working in defense plants, donating, blood, and buying war bonds. Performance on the field of battle where blood was shed and lives lost, however, was the peerless test of patriotism. This was the place where so many extended themselves.
Marine Sergeant John Basilone (1916-1945) stands as among the best known of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in that conflagration. Born in Buffalo, New York he grew up in Raritan, New Jersey, one of ten children of an Italian immigrant tailor. He joined the Army for a three-year hitch in 1933. In 1940 he enlisted in the Marines and saw action in the Pacific in the early phases of the war, particularly as American forces went on the offensive in Guadalcanal in 1942. Basilone, in charge of a machine-gun section, showed his mettle in the face of a devastating Japanese counterattack that endangered the entire American mission, by rescuing two Marines and killing numerous enemy soldiers that contributed mightily to annihilating a Japanese regiment. Following the act of heroism, Basilone was sent home where he was joined my movie actors and was sent on a mission to encourage Americans to buy war bonds. Hugely popular among Italian Americans, he was credited with raising nearly $1.5 million in ten days. Eschewing the shelter of stateside assignment, he requested return to action. In February 1945 he was part of a Marine force engaged in some of the nastiest fighting of the war on island of Iwo Jima. He single-handedly destroyed an enemy strong point but was killed in action. For this extraordinary performance he was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. The Basilone name was remembered in a destroyer named after him as is a Sons of Italy lodge.
Other World War II Italian Americans to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor were William Bianchi, Frank J. Petrarca, Ralph Cheli, Anthony Damato , Arthur DeFranzo, Gino Merli , Vito Bertoldo, Joseph J. Ciccheti, Mike Colalillo, Robert F. Viale, Peter Dalessandro , and Anthony Casamento. Dalessandro was believed to be the second most decorated World War II veteran with three purple hearts, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, and the French Croix de Guerre. There were, in addition, many other Italian Americans who, although not Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, nevertheless performed heroically. Don Gentile, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Dwight Eisenhower for breaking Eddie Rickenbacker's record of enemy planes destroyed, is only one example. Clearly these heroes played a major role in validating the Americanism, not only of Italian Americans of that era, but also of their descendants.
Basilone Family Attending Burial, Re-Buried with Full Military Honors. Washington D.C. Eighteen soldiers and marines were reburied in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Among them was Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor who was killed on Iwo Jima. Marine comrades are seen holding the American flag during services as members of the family look on. Left to right are -- Mrs. Phyllis Brownson, (in light jacket) sister; Mrs. Salvatore Basilone, mother; and Salvatore Basilone, father. April 21, 1948
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