Medal of Honor:

Name: John Basilone
Rank: Sergeant
War: World War II (Guadalcanal Campaign)
Date of Action: October 24–25, 1942
Unit: 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division
Born: November 4, 1916 – Buffalo, New York
Accredited to: New Jersey

Summary of Action

The Japanese 2nd Infantry Division struck the Marine lines at Guadalcanal in the dead of night—screaming, charging, and hurling grenades in one of the fiercest assaults of the campaign. At the center of the storm was Sergeant John Basilone, commanding two sections of heavy machine guns defending Henderson Field. When one gun crew was wiped out and another weapon jammed, Basilone crawled through enemy fire to repair and man the positions himself. For two days and nights he fought without rest, mowing down wave after wave of attackers. When ammunition ran low and the supply lines were cut off, he broke through enemy lines alone, returning with desperately needed belts of machine gun rounds slung over his shoulders. By dawn, the ground before his guns was littered with hundreds of dead—an entire Japanese regiment shattered. Basilone’s cool defiance and relentless willpower turned the tide of the battle and became legend among the Marines of Guadalcanal.

Medal of Honor Citation

BASILONE, JOHN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, N.Y. Accredited to: New Jersey. Other Navy award: Navy Cross.
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 two sections of heavy machine guns, 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 two 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.