A burning phosphorus bomb exploded inside the B-29 and turned the aircraft into an inferno. Blinded and on fire, he carried it through smoke and flames to save everyone aboard.
He could have left on the helicopter. Instead, he stayed on the ground with the wounded and fought beside soldiers who were being overrun.
In a split second beside a muddy pond, he saw the danger before anyone else. He chose to shield his fellow Marines with his own body.
His B-17 was torn apart by fighters, burning, wounded, and nearly uncontrollable. With one crewman unable to jump, he chose to stay with the doomed aircraft and bring it home.
When the patrol was hit and men fell wounded in the open, he turned his machine gun into a shield. His stand saved American lives and forced the enemy to break contact.
With little repair support and constant enemy pressure, his torpedo boats kept fighting. For more than four months in doomed waters, he struck back again and again.
When the assault on Kakazu Ridge was broken by machine guns and grenades, he charged straight into the fire. Hours later, after covering the withdrawal, he was still going back for the wounded.
