foreign
on December 7th 1941 the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base
at Pearl Harbor Hawaii just one day later the U.S declared war in the Pacific and launched the
campaign that would span four devastating years until the Japanese surrender on August 14 1945.
in August of 1942 just two months after the U.S Navy achieved a decisive victory at the Battle
of Midway the Allied troops launched their first major offensive attack against Japan
American forces landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomon island chain
it was there in the heat of battle where Heroes were made who was Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone
how did he single-handedly kill 38 Japanese soldiers and what was his
fate let's try and find out hello I'm Mike droberg Marine Corps veteran and filmmaker
and we will try to answer these questions on today's episode of Forgotten history foreign
[Music]
John Basilonewas born on November 4th 1916 in Buffalo New York he was the sixth of 10 children his five older
siblings were born rare to New Jersey before the family moved to Buffalo where John was born they
returned to Raritan in 1918. at the age of 15 basilone dropped out of high school and worked
as a golf caddy until he joined the army Basilone served three years in the army during the 1930s
where he was a champion boxer but it wouldn't be until he enlisted in the Marine Corps and
the country's subsequent plunge into World War II that he would reach his legendary standing
on the night of October 24 1942 in the jungles of Guadalcanal one of the hundreds of islands
that comprise the Solomons during the Battle of Henderson field the then Sergeant Basilone
was commanding two 30 caliber machine gun sections from the first Battalion seventh marines that were
tasked with holding a narrow pass at the tenaru river as the small gun Crews of the Marines dug
in for the night a Japanese regiment numbering 3 000 men under the command of Lieutenant General
hyakutake of the 17th Japanese Army attacked the line hammering the Marines With Grenades
and mortar fire the American forces were defending the longer perimeter that guarded Henderson field
on Guadalcanal which the Allies had captured from the Japanese in The Landings on GuadalCanal
hyakutake's force was sent to Guadalcanal in response to the Allied Landings with the mission
of recapturing the Airfield and driving the Allied Forces off the island wave after wave were kept at
Bay by the small teams of Marines until one of the gun Crews was disabled by enemy fire
with total disregard for his own life basilone carried about 90 pounds of weaponry and ammunition
To The Silence gun pit running a distance of 200 yards through enemy fire and encountering Japanese
soldiers along the Route whom he killed with his Colt 45 pistol Basilone continued running back and
forth between gun pits supplying Ammunition To those desperately in need and clearing gun jams
for his Junior Marines missed the Carnage Basilone losses of best those gloves hand protection
critical for holding or swapping out the scolding hot barrels of the heavily used machine guns
during the height of battle basilone bare-handed the Searing barrel of his machine gun without
hesitation and continued putting rounds downrange killing an entire wave of Japanese soldiers and
burning his hands and arms in the process enemy bodies were literally piling up so rapidly that
he had to vacate their defensive positions to knock over the growing Wall of Flesh so
they could re-establish clear fields of fire an entire Japanese regiment was thwarted by the gun
Crews and by the time reinforcements arrived only Basilone and two other Marines were left standing
Basilone used his crews' machine guns his pistol and a machete to kill at least 38 enemy Soldiers by
himself PFC Nash W Phillips was with Basilone on Guadalcanal and recounted the otherworldly
efforts by a sergeant Basilone had a machine gun on the go for three days and nights without sleep
rest or food said Phillips who lost a hand in the fight while receiving medical treatment Phillips
recalled Basilone's mythical appearance as he came in to check on him he was barefooted
and his eyes were red as fire he said his face was dirty black from gunfire and the lack of sleep
his shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and he had a 45 tucked into the waistband of
his trousers he just dropped by to see how I was making out me and the others in the section
I'll never forget him on October 26 hyakutake called off any further attacks and ordered his
forces to retreat American forces buried or burned the remains of 1500 Japanese soldiers
US Army soldier John E stannard said the Carnage of the battlefield was a site that perhaps only
a combat infantryman Who has fought at Close Quarters could fully comprehend and look upon
without the feeling of horror the body stretched out for over a half a mile that's alone will go
on to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal only part of this
medal belongs to me Basilone said pieces of it belong to the boys who are still on Guadalcanal
he believed this so strongly he turned down the opportunity to have President Franklin D
Roosevelt bestow the medal opting instead to have the ceremony in the field with his unit
Basilone returned to the U.S to assist in the war bond effort his arrival was highly publicized and
his hometown held the parade in his honor when he returned the homecoming parade occurred on
September 19th and Drew a huge crowd with thousands of people including politicians
celebrities and the national press the parade even made national news in Life Magazine after the
parade Basilone toured the country raising money for the war effort and achieved a celebrity status
he was offered a commission and a chance to spend the rest of the war in Washington but foregoing
the public attention being a war hero yielded and opting instead to return to combat Basilone
stated I ain't no officer and I ain't no museum piece I belong back with my outfit bastillon left
the Limelight for Camp Pendleton California where he met and married a fellow marine sergeant Lena
riggi in 1944. after his request to return to the fleet was approved Basilone was assigned to Sea
company first battalion 27th Marine regiment 5th Marine Division on February 19 1945 the first day
of the invasion of Iwo Jima he was serving as a machine gun section leader on red Beach 2.
while the Marines landed the Japanese concentrated their fire at the incoming Marines from heavily
fortified block houses staged throughout the island with his unit pinned down Basilone made
his way around the side of the Japanese positions until he was directly on top of the block houses
then he attacked With Grenades and demolitions single-handedly destroying the entire strong point
and is defending Garrison he Then followed his way towards Airfield number one and aided a marine
tank that was trapped in an enemy Minefield under intense mortar and artillery barrages
he guided the heavy vehicle over the Hazardous terrain to safety despite heavy weapon fire
from the Japanese as he moved along the edge of the Airfield he was killed by a Japanese mortar
shrapnel he was only 28 years old Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone would be posthumously awarded the
Purple Heart and the Navy cross for his actions on Iwo Jima he was buried at Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington Virginia his widow Lena m basilone died on June 11 1999 at the age of 86
and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside California Lena's obituary notes that
she never remarried and was buried still wearing her wedding ring the United States Navy destroyer
the USS Basilone was named in his honor and commissioned in July of 1949. it remained in
service until November of 1977. thank you for watching forgotten history please like share
and subscribe if you have any comments or show ideas we'd love to hear from you thanks again
[Music]