Legends in the Marines by Avi Heiligman

The Jewish Home | JULY 14, 2022 Forgotten Her es Legends in the Marines

By Avi Heiligman

A statue in New Jersey depicting John Basilone Dan Daly Hershel Woody Williams was the last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient

The American Marine Corps has a fascinating history dating back over 200 years that has taken on a persona much different than the other branches of the military. While some battlefield heroes are known – especially those who have served in public office after leaving the military – others like John Basilone or Dan Daly have stories that should be remembered. Here are some stories of marines that often are overlooked when it comes to battlefield heroes.

There have been several double recipients of the Medal of Honor, but none were quite like Dan Daly. His first Medal of Honor came for actions during the Boxer Revolution in China in 1900. He single-handedly defended a position against an enemy that attacked repeatedly and inflicted 200 casualties.

In 1915, Daly was a gunnery sergeant with the 2nd Marine Regiment during a conflict in Haiti when they were attacked by 400 enemy soldiers from three sides. Daly led the marine detachment of about 40 men into a better fighting position, in the process, scattering the enemy. The attack continued through the night, and the retreating marines lost their only machine gun. Daniel Daly returned and retrieved the gun while fighting off several Haitians with his knife. His detachment made it to the safety of a nearby fort.

During the Battle of Belleau Wood, in June 1918, he reportedly said to his men, “Come on, do you want to live forever?” Daly was awarded the Navy Cross for singlehandedly capturing a machine gun nest with grenades and a pistol. Daly was repeatedly put into battle situations where the odds were stacked against him and his men, and yet every time, he came out victorious. Major General Smedley Butler said about Daly that he was “the fightin’est Marine I ever knew!” Butler was one to know about fighting marines himself, as he was also awarded the Medal of Honor twice along with a host of other medals for bravery in combat.

Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was a former enlisted soldier in the army before joining the marines in 1940. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. spent months on the defensive and finally in August 1942 was ready to invade Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Basilone was with D Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Henderson Field, an airfield on the Pacific island, in late October 1942. He commanded two machine gun sections against a Japanese regiment of 3,000 soldiers. For three days, with no food or sleep, Basilone took charge and fought the oncoming enemy troops. After running out of ammunition, he ran through Japanese lines with just a pistol and a machete so that his men could keep on fighting. The battle ended once the Japanese forces ceased to exist as a fighting force. Just two other Americans besides Basilone

remained standing after the fighting had ended.

Another marine recalled Basilone’s exploits: “Basilone had a machine gun on the go for three days and nights without sleep, rest, or food. He was in a good emplacement and causing the Japanese lots of trouble, not only firing his machine gun, but also using his pistol.”

Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions. He was killed during the invasion of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, while guiding a tank over hazardous enemy terrain.

Basilone wasn’t the only marine hero fighting on Guadalcanal. Many marines were awarded medals for bravery, including Lieutenant Julius Goldblatt. Goldblatt was a Jewish marine from Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was with the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division during the flamethrower on his back, even though he weighed only 150 pounds. His Medal of Honor citation tells the story: “Corporal Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machine-gun fire from the unyielding positions. Covered only by four riflemen, he fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. On one occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, kill the occupants and silence the gun; on another, he grimly charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon.”

After running out of ammunition, he ran through Japanese lines with just a pistol and a machete so that his men could keep on fighting.

fighting on Guadalcanal. His platoon was in front when one of his men was seriously wounded in both legs. Disregarding his own safety, Goldblatt ran forward through an open area and had to pull the wounded marine inch by inch to shelter. Another marine had tried to reach him first but was wounded. Goldblatt also helped him to safety. For his actions, Goldblatt was awarded the Silver Star.

Recently, the exploits of Herschel “Woody” Williams made the news as he was the last living World War II Medal of Honor recipient. Corporal Williams was with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division on February 21, 1945 on Iwo Jima with the flamethrower as his weapon of choice. The flamethrower was a tricky weapon to use, and the user was a target for enemy riflemen and snipers. Williams was with four riflemen from the 21st Marine Regiment as he carried his 70 lb.

President Harry S Truman personally awarded him the highest award for bravery in combat. Williams passed away on June 29, 2022; it was announced just before this article was written that he will be given the rare honor of lying in state at the U.S. Capitol.

Marines have a long history and have taken part in some of America’s toughest battles. The men described in this article have earned the highest praise for bravery in battle and it is history that is not to be forgotten.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.