Marine Saw a Medal of Honor Hero Fall at Iwo Jima 😔
A Marine recounts his experience landing at Iwo Jima, witnessing Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone killed immediately upon reaching the beach. He describes the horrific conditions of crawling over dead bodies, losing his two companions, and facing the first night of battle alone.
Summary
The speaker, a Marine who participated in the Iwo Jima invasion, provides a firsthand account of the initial combat experience. Upon hitting the beach, he was terrified and accompanied by two fellow Marines. Almost immediately, he witnessed Medal of Honor winner John Basilone—who had previously earned the decoration at Guadalcanal—get killed to his right without even getting up from the beach. The speaker notes that three other Marines ahead of him were already dead. The beach was littered with corpses that the surviving Marines had to crawl over to advance toward higher ground. During this harrowing movement, the speaker became separated from his two companions. By the time he reached the top of the beach, he was alone. He spent the first night of the battle in complete isolation, highlighting the chaotic and deadly nature of the Iwo Jima landing and the rapid loss of life and unit cohesion in the initial assault.
Key Insights
- John Basilone, who had previously earned the Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal, was killed on the beach at Iwo Jima without getting up
- The speaker encountered dead Marines immediately upon landing, with three killed ahead of him before he had made meaningful progress
- Surviving Marines had to physically crawl over the bodies of dead soldiers to advance up the beach
- The speaker became separated from his two companions during the beach assault and reached the top of the beach alone
- The speaker spent the entire first night of the Iwo Jima battle in isolation after losing contact with his unit
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] How long did it take for you to see the first Marine [music] in action? >> Not long at all. When I hit the beach, I lay face down. I had these two boys with me. We were scared to death. John Basilone, Medal of Honor, Guadalcanal, the first one. He was killed right to our right. Never got up. Three kids ahead of me were already dead. [music] There were bodies laying all over the beach and we had to crawl over those bodies [music] to move to the top. Well, by the time I reached the top, I lost my two buddies. They weren't with me [0:30] anymore. I went the first night of that battle. I…
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