List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima took place in February and March 1945 during World War II and was marked by some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The American invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was charged with capturing the airfields on Iwo Jima.

The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi) of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 216 taken prisoner.

During the 2-month-long battle, 27 U.S. military personnel were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Of the 27 medals awarded, 22 were presented to Marines and five were presented to United States Navy sailors (four of whom were Hospital Corpsman; see below); this is over 25% of the 82 Medals of Honor awarded to Marines in the entirety of World War II.[1]

The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously.[2]

Recipients

  This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously

Image Name Service Rank Date of action Unit Notes
black and white headshot of Charles Berry in his military uniform Berry, Charles J.Charles J. Berry* Marine Corps Corporal March 3, 1945 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division The Erie Avenue Bridge in Lorain, Ohio was renamed in 1988 to the Charles Berry Bridge in honor of Cpl Berry, a native son of the city.
black and white headshot of William Caddy in his military uniform Caddy, William R.William R. Caddy* Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class March 3, 1945 Company I, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to save the lives of his platoon leader and platoon sergeant
black and white headshot of Justice Chambers in his military uniform Chambers, Justice M.Justice M. Chambers Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel February 19–22, 1945 3d Assault Battalion Landing Team, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Led the 8-hour battle to carry the flanking ridge top and reduce the enemy's fields of aimed fire, thus protecting the vital foothold gained
black and white headshot of Darrell Cole in his military uniform Cole, Darrell S.Darrell S. Cole* Marine Corps Reserve Sergeant February 19, 1945 Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Namesake of USS Cole (DDG-67)
black and white headshot of Robert Dunlap in his military uniform Dunlap, Robert H.Robert H. Dunlap Marine Corps Reserve Captain February 20–21, 1945 Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Risked his life to gather intelligence about and direct fire on, enemy gun positions
black and white headshot of Ross Gray in his military uniform Gray, Ross F.Ross F. Gray* Marine Corps Reserve Sergeant February 21, 1945 Company A, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Single-handedly overcame a strong enemy garrison and completely disarmed a large mine field before finally rejoining his unit.
black and white headshot of William Harrell in his military uniform Harrell, William G.William G. Harrell Marine Corps Sergeant March 3, 1945 Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Risked his life to defend his position against a larger enemy force
black and white headshot of Rufus Herring in his military uniform Herring, Rufus G.Rufus G. Herring USNR Lieutenant, Junior Grade February 17, 1945 USS LCI(G)-449 Maintained position in the firing line with his 20-mm guns in action in the face of sustained enemy fire and conned his crippled ship to safety
black and white headshot of Douglas Jacobson in his military uniform Jacobson, Douglas T.Douglas T. Jacobson Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class February 26, 1945 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Risked his life by destroying a total of sixteen enemy positions and approximately seventy-five Japanese
black and white headshot of Joseph Julian in his military uniform Julian, Joseph R.Joseph R. Julian* Marine Corps Reserve Platoon Sergeant March 9, 1945 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to eliminate an enemy threat
black and white headshot of James La Belle in his military uniform La Belle, James D.James D. La Belle* Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class March 8, 1945 Weapons Company, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to save a group of his fellow Marines by diving on a grenade
black and white headshot of John Leims in his military uniform Leims, John H.John H. Leims Marine Corps Reserve Second Lieutenant March 7, 1945 Company B, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division Risked his life to rescue several wounded Marines
black and white headshot of Jacklyn Lucas in his military uniform Lucas, Jacklyn HarrellJacklyn Harrell Lucas Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class February 20, 1945 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Covered two Japanese grenades with his body. Survived the blast of the one that exploded. Youngest recipient since the Civil War (turned 17 just 5 days before Iwo Jima D-Day)
black and white headshot of Jack Lummus in his military uniform Lummus, JackJack Lummus* Marine Corps Reserve First Lieutenant March 8, 1945 2nd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Had earlier played football for the New York Giants
black and white headshot of Harry Martin in his military uniform Martin, Harry L.Harry L. Martin* Marine Corps Reserve First Lieutenant March 26, 1945 Company C, 5th Pioneer Battalion, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to help rescue some of his men who had been overrun by the enemy.
black and white headshot of Joseph McCarthy in his military uniform McCarthy, Joseph J.Joseph J. McCarthy Marine Corps Reserve Captain February 21, 1945 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Risked his life to eliminate several enemy troops so his men could move forward
black and white headshot of George Phillips in his military uniform Phillips, GeorgeGeorge Phillips* Marine Corps Reserve Private March 14, 1945 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to save the lives of fellow Marines
black and white headshot of Francis Pierce in his military uniform Pierce, Francis J.Francis J. Pierce Navy Pharmacist's Mate First Class March 15–16, 1945 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division Risked his life to save several wounded servicemembers and volunteered for a mission to eliminate an enemy threat
black and white headshot of Donald Ruhl in his military uniform Ruhl, Donald J.Donald J. Ruhl* Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class February 19–21, 1945 Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Saved several of his fellow Marines by sacrificing his life and diving on an enemy grenade
black and white headshot of Franklin Sigler in his military uniform Sigler, Franklin E.Franklin E. Sigler Marine Corps Reserve Private March 14, 1945 2nd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Led a charge against an enemy gun installation which had held up the advance of his company for several days
black and white headshot of Tony stein in his military uniform Stein, TonyTony Stein* Marine Corps Reserve Corporal February 19, 1945 Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division First Medal of Honor of Iwo Jima. Namesake of USS Stein (FF-1065)
black and white headshot of George Wahlen in his military uniform Wahlen, George E.George E. Wahlen Navy Pharmacist's Mate Second Class March 3, 1945 2nd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Although seriously wounded he risked his life to save the lives of several other servicemembers
black and white headshot of William Walsh in his military uniform Walsh, William G.William G. Walsh* Marine Corps Reserve Gunnery Sergeant February 27, 1945 Company G, 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Sacrificed his life to save a group of fellow Marines
Man in Marine Corps uniform with Medal of Honor Watson, Wilson D.Wilson D. Watson Marine Corps Reserve Private February 26–27, 1945 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division Risked his life fighting the enemy single handedly for 15 minutes until his platoon could catch up to him
black and white headshot of Hershel Williams in his military uniform Williams, Hershel W.Hershel W. Williams Marine Corps Reserve Corporal February 23, 1945 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division Risked his life attacking the enemy for 4 hours with an M2-2 Portable Flamethrower to minimize unit casualties
black and white headshot of Jack Williams in his military uniform Williams, JackJack Williams* USNR Pharmacist's Mate Third Class March 3, 1945 3rd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Killed while performing first aid to a wounded Marine
black and white headshot of John Willis in his military uniform Willis, John H.John H. Willis* Navy Pharmacist's Mate First Class February 28, 1945 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division Killed by a grenade while assisting a wounded Marine

See also

References

General
Inline
  1. ↑ "Medal of Honor recipients". Medal of Honor Statistics. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  2. ↑ "A Brief History — The Medal of Honor". Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Department of Defense. August 8, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2010.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.