John Harlan Willis of Columbia, Tennessee, a Pharmacist's Mate First Class

John Harlan Willis of Columbia, Tennessee, a Pharmacist's Mate First Class, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on February 28, 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Willis enlisted in the Navy in November 1940 and by February 19th, 1945, was serving as a pharmacist’s mate first class when he landed with the 3rd Battalion, 27th Marines on Iwo Jima.

On February 28, 1945, he was wounded by shrapnel while aiding fallen Marines and ordered back to the battle-aid station. Disregarding his injuries, he returned to the battle area to resume casualty assistance.

He was treating a wounded Marine when the enemy attacked his position with hand grenades. Willis threw eight grenades back at the enemy but was killed when a ninth exploded in his hand. He was just 23 years old.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on this day. Willis is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Columbia, Tennessee. The destroyer escort USS John Willis (DE-1027) was named in his honor.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Comments

A great story about a little bit of 'humanity' during a terrible war.

A great story about a little bit of 'humanity' during a terrible war. In April 1945, 2nd Lt. Peter During was a South African fighter pilot (N.7 Squadron) running missions over Italy when his Spitfire was shot down by German AA fire. He managed to crash land his plane behind enemy lines where he was immediately captured. Whilst been escorted to a German Lufwaffe Prisoner of War (POW) camp (he was a pilot and thus his interrogation and imprisonment was the responsibility of the German airforce), he opened a conversation with his captors. He was quickly able to establish that they could already see the writing on the wall, that the war was at an end and Germany would lose it. ...

He said the family were "acutely aware" there were "extremists of all sides who are keen to hijack this incident for their own ends".

The family of a man who was kicked in the head by police at Manchester Airport has appealed for "calm in all the communities", an MP has said. Paul Waugh, Rochdale MP, said the "traumatised" family wanted to make it clear they had "no political agenda whatsoever" and did not condone political violence. Anger over the video led to protests outside Rochdale police station on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with another protest also held in Manchester city centre on Thursday. Mr Waugh said the family would not be attending any protests or giving any media interviews as they wanted their privacy protected. "The strong message they wanted to give is that they have no political agenda whatsoever," he told BBC Breakfast. "They wanted me to issue an appeal for calm among all sorts of different communities in Rochdale. "We've had a history of unfortunate division in our town and we do not want to go back to those days." He said the famil...

Battle of Hat Dich Begins.

Battle of Hat Dich Begins On the 3rd of December 1968, Australians from the 1st Australian Task Force participated in the Battle of Hat Dich as part of Operation GOODWOOD. This operation involved the clearing of Hat Dich and its surrounding areas in a three month operation which would involve Australian, New Zealand, American and South Vietnamese forces. The battle was marked by sustained Australian patrols throughout the Hat Dich area and ambushes on tracks used by the enemy. American, South Vietnamese and Thai forces also operated in direct support of the ANZACS as part of the division-sized action. Under the codename Operation GOODWOOD, the battle of Hat Dich lasted 78 days, and saw 21 Australians, one New Zealander and 31 South Vietnamese killed. The Royal Australian Regiment, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and 1st Armoured Regiment were subsequently awarded the battle honour award “Hat Dich”, one of only five presented to Australian units during the war. don't forget to...

WORLD OF ALL

Search This Blog