Hair nets are an essential thing for mess hall personnel as I have been a Mess hall inspector as part of medic duties. I would have giving anything to have met MRS Lena Basilone. He was the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. As I have commented she was a LEGEND as was John. By Jeff McDonald. It was great. This is what Memorial Day or Decoration Day is all about. I tried my hardest through the years to get Lena to consent to be buried in Arlington Natioal Cemetary with her Johnny. Then, John marries this stranger and he focuses on her instead of the family.My opinion is they were terribly jealous of her and blamed her for taking away their son and brother. Famous John Basilone was born on November 4, 1916 in United States. It was so sad that they never got to spend their lives together. I also had the chance to tell her about Sgt. This is what I remember about Lena. We were proud to do this.You make our sacrifices bearable. I caught heck from Mom for not writing. Lena and John fall in love and were married on July 10, 1944. 2023.03.03 20:19 bolavitaslots BolavitaSlot Daftar Situs Slots Deposit Bank Lampung No.1 Indonesia There are no words to describe this amazing lady. John Basilone Section 12, Grave 384 Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone (1916-1945) was awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism in combat at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in October 1942. Anyway it looks like John and Lena Basilone meet and fall in love during episode 8. I served for 34 years nearly and the others did service from 4-30 years.I definitely appreciate what family did in Vietnam. To apply for a WMA Emergency Grant, you must complete the online application form and provide documentation of your financial emergency. I have learned that Lena was a strong willed woman which made her what she was. I was there when at over 80 years of age the doctor decided to do heart bypass surgery. I found your blog by chance and thoroughly enjoyed this article about Lena. She always did things that were bigger than herself. In February of 1945, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was back in the Pacific with the 5 th Marine Division, part of the invasion force for the invasion of Iwo Jima, known by the military code name Operation Detachment . I wish i was around then. She did have beautiful soft natural slightly curly hair, and she kept it short.. She is truely my hero as well as her husband. What would make someone cut the connection so completely, yet state that she had the best?, Miss she had the man he was worth more than any material thing she had and her memory of him was enough for her. God love the brothers from Nam and I never stop thinking about you guys. Lena never remarried and she lived in California until her death in 1999. Basilone received numerous honors, including the following: John Basilone receiving the Medal of Honor in 1943. Died February 19, 1945, Iwo Jima, Japan Spouse Lena Mae . Let us remember who they were and the ultimate sacrifice made for us all. His five older siblings were born in Raritan, New Jersey, before the family moved to Buffalo where John was born; they returned to Raritan in 1918. He was the only Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II. He clearly foresaw his future three separate times. I love my Vietnam compadres and family. Hope you were able to get the Pacific series. I could not serve in the USMC which was one of my ambitions, family members were in units I wanted to join, I settled for the Army and do not regret any of my service of 33 1/2.yrs.My dad was in the Pacific with the Marines including the Guam and Peleliu campaigns. They definitely did not wear cute little feminine skirted waitress type uniforms. Womens symposium focuses on family unit, Sgt Lena Basilone Part Three The semi-normal, day-to-day life of a female Marine, John Basilone: Returning to the Fight After Earning Medal of Honor, Read the Signs along the Road :: Stolinsky.com | Conservative political and social commentary, Sunday Salute: Sergeant Lena Riggi Basilone Deb Sinness, Author, Follow Women Marines Association on WordPress.com, Little Marine's Journal: Why I Joined the Marine Corps, Exercise Sudden Response 23 [Image 1 of 6], Exercise Sudden Response 23 [Image 2 of 6], Exercise Sudden Response 23 [Image 3 of 6], Exercise Sudden Response 23 [Image 4 of 6], Marine 1st sergeant uses combat experience to save man hit by car, 3D animation shows the inner-workings of an AR-15, Everything we know Gen. Milley has told the Jan. 6 panel, As Ukraine highlights value of killer drones, Marine Corps wants more. and for the families they left behind.. For extraordinary heroism while serving as a Leader of a Machine-Gun Section, Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. I was treated a few times at the VA facility in Long Beach where Lena helped get a lol of us through the system at the hospital. She may have never forgiven him for going back into battle. Basilone: Directed by David Nutter. Lena's obituary notes that she never remarried and was buried still wearing . They were good examples which I followed. And I hope that in some small way I brought joy to her life, I know she enriched mine ! By the end of the engagement, Japanese forces opposite the Marines' lines had been virtually annihilated. and we lost fewer soldiers because of better medical. He then repaired and manned another machine gun, holding the defensive line until relief arrived. John met Lena at Pendleton,it took a while because Lena was her own woman and a noncomissioned officer whe eventually attained the rank of Master Sergeant, She did not rush to John immediately as you saw in the Pacific but once she did they were head over heels for each other.John was a no nonsense Gunnery Sergeant and was very good with a machine gun and thats what got him the Congressional Medal of Honor(equivalent to a Victoria Cross). I sometimes wonder how my family members who fought on Peleliu,Okinawa, and Iwo Jima fought on an island cemetery,the constant artillery and mortar fire, and combat. John Basilone. I feel pontoon bridges which were being built during and after the first weakening of the main bridge should have mandated use of the pontoon bridges to save engineers lives. I just watched HBO's The Pacific episode 7, it was great, tons of action. I do miss her to this day. John Basilone Quotes. You got tired both physically and mentally quickly. During brutal fighting with heavy casualties on both sides, he killed at least 38 Japanese soldiers. She made an effort to reconcile with them after the war when she visited and presented to the family Johns Medal of Honor. I kind of figured Lenas headsone would not be in the location it was supposed to be. Lena too lived a life of service Helping many veterans. I knew Lean briefly due to my dealings with the VA in Long Beach. John Basilone was not only a good machine gun platoon sergeant, He knew how to use machine guns,maintain them and teach others to do the same, like Steve Evenson who fell on Iwo Jima and his buddy Amen. Military units comprising the Defense CBRN Response Force (DCRF) participated in Exercise [], FORT HOOD, Texas (Dec.11, 2022) Members of the search fire and rescue team, assigned to the Marine Corps Chemical, Biological Incident Response Force, drill through concrete while conducting a rescue during Exercise Sudden Response 23 at Fort Hood, Texas Dec. 11, 2022. Robin: Ask Barbara About what Lena said I dont want to bother anyone because she was like a daughter to Lena. On one occasion I drove Lena to Camp Pendleton for a celebration of the Womens Marine Corp. 60th anniversary, (I think it was 60) It was so great seeing how she was honored and revered by the young lady Marines. At that time women were not accepted in a mans world in the military at that time. The Lena I knew would rather be buried where she was because she didnt seek the limelight and wanted to live a quiet life. I am a retired US Army medic that served for 33 1/2 years. Lena always had her wallet full of Johnnys pictures. Stella. I hope in some small measure I brought honor to Lena. I ran into her at the Long beach veterans amdinisitration hospital and she helped through the bureaucratic maze and was with me the entire day,I have never forgottten her. I rate the Pacific at about 95% correct. With James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello, Jon Seda, Jon Bernthal. My uncles in WW II served both in Europe and the Pacific. I read the book Im staying with my boys. The Life and Death of . He was 78. Basilone met his future wife, Lena Mae Riggi, who was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. John stood up to run. God bless! "They weren't even men anymore. They had been married for 7.3 months. he met his future wife, Lena Mae Riggi, who was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. Neither did they want to include she was the wife of Gunnery Sgt. On October 24, 1942, during the Battle for Henderson Field, his unit came under attack by a regiment of about 3,000 soldiers from the Japanese Sendai Division using machine guns, grenades, and mortars against the American heavy machine guns. Virginia Grey Entertainment - Actress Why Famous: Hullabaloo, film Age: 87 (3/22/1917 - 7/31/2004) Virginia Grey's Relationships (3) John Basilone Other - Other Why Famous: Recipient of Medal of Honor for Battle of Guadalcanal They both are heros of mine. After his death, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He served as a medic like I did and later became a doctor. As in most documentary/films some of the scenes and portrails of Lena were not quite right. I thank you for you service and recognize what you did for us soldiers Respectfully,SSG.RichardDocBorenstein(Retired) Combat Medic, Welcome David: My name is SSG RickDoc Borenstein I served in the US Army from 1973-2007 and retired. I guess being a diabetic with a full ankle replacement i would just be more of a problem for the military rather than a help. Leatherneck November 1988. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of John R Basilone of Pemberton, New Jersey, who passed away on February 5, 2023, at the age of 66, leaving to mourn family and friends. In 1943, Basilone returned to the United States and participated in war bond tours. The hospital environment would have been a nightmare without her.Lena saidonce you had the best.there was no need to be involved with the rest, as she was totally faithful to John for a life time, although her time with him was brief. I have a flag and it has the names of family and friends named on it. May 10, 2013!! I am not nor have ever been a member of the American Armed forces. I caught the tail end of it when we had to get our ADA missiles out of there. A piece of their son to cling to , to assuage their pain . Johnny was definitely the love of her life! The Democrat did not seek re-election for . Women make the Marines the effective force they are today.Without Lena, this would not have occurred as easily. Nick Name: Manila John Also Known As: Manila John Died At Age: 28 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Lena Mae Riggi (m. 1944) father: Salvatore Basilone mother: Theadora Bencivenga Born Country: United States Soldiers American Men Height: 1.8 m Died on: February 19, 1945 place of death: Ogasawara, Tokyo, Japan Ancestry: Italian American Donald Basilone was the youngest sibling of the Basilone family, and brother of GySgt. She was a patriotic American to the core!! She had made peace with her loss alone, without receiving any compassion from them. Marine Sergeant Lena Basilone was the wife of Medal of Honor winner John Basilone. John Basilone (November 4, 1916 - February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal campaign, and the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Fortunately, I have known a lot of Lenas who I served with. We spent many, many hours together and even though her Johnny had been killed many years before she had a way of talking about him that made me feel I knew him personally. I am not the Richard who posted this excellent comment. Lena Basilone and the Women Marines. According to the funeral . Once again, Basilone would be leading Marines in combat with the Japanese as a machine gun section leader. Regardless of whether Basilone's ability was real or imagined, what matters is that he believed it, making his request for orders to the fleet and his actions on Iwo Jima all the more astounding. I think my Fathers generation were legends. I was with her as she drew her last labored breath in the ER after weeks of trying to recover from the surgery. What was the most moving person I had found was that of Lena. I found Lena in both the 1930 and 1940 censusand was very surprised and excited to learn that not only was she an Oregonian, shes was basically for me a local girl! She was raised and lived and worked in places less than an hours drive from where I live now! I guess we all have our way to remember those important to us. In 21 Dec 1945 Lena christened a Navy destroyer ship named the USS Basilone in her husband's honor. These Marines were the pioneers who created an Army I passed my torch unto as well as Marine Corps we have today. As a veteran, I have profound respect for her service to this country. Deeply moved and deeply saddened by the story of John and Lena. His widow, Lena M. Basilone, died 11-06-1999, aged 86, in Lakewood, Los Angeles County, California, USA and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. My dad fought in the Peleliu campaign. War was fought with the idea that you do what you must do to win. I claim nothing in this video. I salute her, Ms. Garner: I saw the PACIFIC documentary. Lena M. Basilone died June 11, 1999, at the age of 86, and was buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California . You truley were a good friend to her. John Basilone was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. However, this time my sentiments were of the lives and the wonderment of them as people. I have my lense of combat by which I can see why the Pacific descended into the cauldron of hell that it was, both sides fought brutally with equal gusto. Her favorite framed picture of Johnny always sat looking at her from atop her TV! May God Bless John and Lena Basilone. The Remagen bridge commanders I think forgot about safety, which at that time the bridge was needed to get men and equipment into Germany to sustain the offensive they started. One must remember that Sgt Basilone volunteer to return to battle which he did not have too being a MOH recipient. So he couldnt have possibly made the best coffee she ever had. Still, its a good part of the story consider that may very well have been the reaction of some parents upon discovering their daughter was joining the Marine Corps. Parents Salvatore and Theadora Basilone. I just have very much respect for both John and Lena for making the personal sacrifice, and for John making the ultimate sacrifice. Lena Basilone, plus every picture I could find of her in her uniform showing her Sgt. Why did she not want to be buried with or near him? I agree, Lena was a loyal wife to a great Marine! My father was in the Pacific with the 32nd and 81st. Regards, SSg Rick Doc Borenstein ret, US Army Medical Dept. I served 33 1/2 years from the Vietnam Era to Iraq.. After John Basilone's death, his wife Lena never remarried. Gunnery Sergeant Basilone's buddies on Guadalcanal called him "Manila John" because he had served with the Army in the Philippines before enlisting in the Marine Corps. (source). I am a huge fan of hers and her husband. but those were the times and conditions because I think Americans wanted a quicker end to WWII. Hi Vera: I am pleased to read your post. I know she would enrich my life. Im writing a piece on Lena Basilone, I am a Marine and have been looking to speak with people that could share stories about Lena, and her life of love, friendship and her service to veterans after the Marine Corps. Thank God she had someone. Lena served an important role though,giving the soldier good chow was a morale booster. They served with me steadfastly for almost 34 years ,over 1/2 my lifetime.

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