American War Hero · World War II · Notice Nearby
John Basilone
November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945
Born Buffalo, New York
Died Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands
Gunnery sergeant, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines; Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima
John Basilone held a section of the line on Guadalcanal in October 1942 with two machine guns, a few Marines, and a night that did not end on schedule. The Medal of Honor citation describes the repair of guns under fire and the ammunition runs. He was sent home to sell bonds. He asked to go back.
He was killed on February 19, 1945, the first day on Iwo Jima, moving a stalled column off the beach. The Navy Cross for that morning is in the record. He was twenty-eight. He is buried at Arlington.
Raritan, New Jersey, where he grew up, still keeps the parade. This page will not add a street-fair sentence. It will say a gunnery sergeant used up a stateside ticket to stand on a volcanic beach, and the beach took him.
Documented decorations
Listed only when a public official source names the award. This is not a verified-veteran mark and not a score.
Purple Heart
- Publication
- NN-HERO-1941-003
- Content hash
- 6520fb03 49587551 bb1a3389 0998305d fae25fdb 5373bc86 0ff4a618 5041d681
- Base anchor
- 0x26208e 00064599 4756711d 2c82f4c4 1b96017b 2f7ecae7 877f8986 918413d7 48
Base stores the content hash, publication number, memorial id, and timestamp — not the full obituary text. The complete memorial remains on Notice Nearby. This is not a legal affidavit.