Gua

dalc

anal

. On

the

even

ing

of O

ctob

er 2

4, 1

942,

then

ser

gean

t Joh

n B

asilo

ne m

ade

a st

and

on th

e st

rate

gica

lly im

port

ant h

igh

grou

nd n

ear

Gua

dalc

anal

’s L

unga

Riv

er a

nd s

outh

of t

he v

ital M

arin

e be

achh

ead,

whi

ch in

clud

ed H

ende

rson

Fie

ld. H

is e

ffor

ts a

nd

thos

e of

his

fello

w M

arin

es a

nd s

ailo

rs h

ande

d th

e Ja

pane

se th

eir

fi rst

def

eat i

n th

e U

.S. i

slan

d-ho

ppin

g ca

mpa

ign

up th

e Pa

cifi c

.

Basilone in his service uniform.

Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift, Colonel Merritt A. Edson, Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Paige, and Sergeant John Basilone after receiving their Congressional Medals of Honor at Camp Balcombe, in Australia, May 21, 1943, for their heroism at Guadalcanal.

Iwo Jima. In the Battle of Iwo Jima, John Basilone, now a gunnery sergeant, charged across Red Beach 2 with the 1st Battalion, 27th Marines on D-day, February, 19, 1945. He would die there on that fi rst day of the assault, falling just short of one of his unit’s primary objectives, Motoyama Airfi eld # 1.

Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, originally buried on Iwo Jima, was re - buried in 1948 at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Marine comrades are seen holding the American fl ag during services as members of the family look on. (Seated left to right) Basilone ’ s sister Phyllis (in light jacket); his mother, Dora; and his father, Salvatore.

The Basilone statue in Raritan, New Jersey, haloed by the sun.

238