Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller was one of the most decorated Marine in history, and the only Marine to receive five Navy Crosses. He was just 28 years old.Ĭhesty Puller: “We’re surrounded. Just minutes after destroying a Japanese blockhouse, Basilone and four members of his platoon were killed when an enemy artillery shell exploded. Basilone returned to battle in February 1945, to storm Red Beach on Iwo Jima, leading his gunners up the steep black sand. Basilone used his crews’ machine guns, his pistol and a machete to kill at least 38 enemy soldiers by himself. By the time reinforcements arrived, only Basilone and two other Marines were left standing. During the height of the battle, Basilone lost his asbestos glove, forcing him to barehand the searing barrel of his machine gun. 45 pistol – and all while carrying about 90 pounds of weaponry and ammunition. When one of the machine guns was disabled from enemy fire, Basilone ran to the silenced gun pit covering about 200 yards, killing enemy soldiers with his Colt. Suddenly a Japanese regiment numbering 3,000 men attacked the small group of Marines hammering them with grenades and mortar fire. 30-caliber machine gun sections from First Battalion, Seventh Marines, tasked with holding a narrow pass at the Tenaru River. On the night of October 24, 1942, in the jungles of Guadalcanal, then-Sgt. John Basilone: “Never fear your enemy but always respect them” It was during that firefight that he supposedly shouted his immortal words. Daly almost one a third MOH in World War I for his part in a counterattack against the enemy in the famous Battle of Belleau Wood. On the night of October 24, 1915, in the Battle of Fort Dipitie, Daly was part of a group of around 40 Marines ambushed by a force of approximately 400 insurgents. Fifteen years later, he received his second Medal of Honor came fifteen years later while fighting in Haiti to support the government there. He was awarded his first Medal in1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, when he single-handedly defended his position against repeated attacks, and inflicted casualties of around 200 on the attacking Boxers. He joined the Corps in January, 1899, expecting to see action during the Spanish-American War, but the war ended before he had finished his training. But Daly was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to have received the Medal of Honor twice. Standing about 5’ 6” tall and weighing maybe 135 pounds, Dan Daly didn’t necessarily look the part of a badass. In honor of this anniversary, we present five legendary Marines and their awesome quotes.ĭan Daly: Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever? Today is the 245th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

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