John Basilon was a real US hero

This memorial day could make you much worse than John Basilone.

Eighty years ago, the US military dug it in a brutal, expensive campaign from a Japanese Pacific island to another in one costly campaign as everyone in American history.

Basilons have a honored place in this story.

He was born in Buffalo and grew up in New Jersey by his Italian-American parents. He joined the army as a teenager in the 1930s. Then, after a time as a civilian, he registered for the Marines in 1940.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, he almost alone held a massive attack by a Japanese regiment against two types of machine guns he ordered.

Basilone's heroic deeds were worthy of an exaggerated scene from a war film or a taller warrior from an old epic.

When the Japanese disabled one of the American gun crews, basilons moved a different machine gun and made it personally and also repaired another weapon under heavy fire.

When they needed more supplies, basilons ran through Japanese lines to get the ammunition and defended themselves with his stallion foal .45.

He fought for days and in the end he and his comrades had basically destroyed the Japanese attackers.

Basilone lost his asbestos gloves in chaos and still acted with the scorching machine gun barrels, maintaining burns on his hands.

As General Douglas Macarthur later put it, he was a “one-man army”.

Nash Phillips, a private wounded in the fight, recalled: “Basilons had a machine gun for three days and nights without sleep, calm or food.”

Phillips described Basilone to see him when he was treated medically: “He was barefoot and his eyes were red like fire. His face was dirty black of shots and lack of sleep. His shirted sleeves were rolled into his shoulders.

“He had just passed to see how I rummage; I and the others in the section. I will never forget him. He will never be dead in my head!”

Basilons received the medal of honor and adequately delivered a hero who welcomed the States. He took part in the campaign for the sale of war bonds.

His behavior in Guadal Canal would be more than enough bravery in one life for the rest of us, but basilons wanted to fight again.

The marines told him that he was more valuable at home and denied his request. Basilons insisted on it, and the marines finally gave in.

In February 1945, on the first day of the invasion of IWO Jima, a god -forgivoed piece of volcanic rock, he was again a machine gun manager in the first day of IWO Jima's invasion of IWO Jima. The dug Japanese chewed the Americans on the beaches.

Basilons flanked a Japanese log house, climbed on it and took it out alone. Then he led a marine tank out of a mine field before he was fatally hit.

For this campaign he posthumously received the marine cruise. The quote describes it as “stupid and indomitable” and praises “his fearless initiative, its outstanding skills and the brave spirit of self -sacrificing”.

We remember that John Basilon honor his victim and reminds us of the blood and the effort that kept us safe and free.

And one also hopes to inspire others to achieve your example when and when the test time comes.

Bridges and US Navy Ships were named after him, and basilons were a presented character in the Steven Spielberg HBO series “The Pacific”.

Raritan, New Jersey, still has an annual parade in honor of the hero of the hometown and an unadorned heroic, sizes-sized statue of basilons, who weighs a machine gun-followed up with someone with whom you cannot get mixed up.

Basilons had a tattoo on the arm with the inscription “Death before shame”. He took this imperative seriously.

We owe him an immeasurable guilt and all American warriors who did the same.

Twitter @richlowry