February 19, 1945 Sergeant John Basilone, a Marine from Raritan, New Jersey, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism on Guadalcanal in 1942, personally destroyed a Japanese strong point on Iwo Jima, using hand grenades and other explosives. Shortly afterward, while guiding a tank out of harm’s way, he was killed in action. For his heroism, Sergeant Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps’ second highest decoration.
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