by Hugh Ambrose
98 "Basilone Starts War Bond Tour Today," September 8, 1943, clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
99 "Airmada" advertisement, unidentified newspaper, undated, Basilone Family Collection.
100 Bond Tour Photo Collection, Basilone Family Collection.
101 "Film Stars to Launch 3rd Bond Drive," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
102 Fitzpatrick, "Basilone Tour Biography," undated MS, Basilone Family Collection.
103 "War Heroes Help Sell $2,000,000 in Bonds," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
104 Samuel, Pledging Allegiance, p. xix.
105 "War Heroes Help Sell $2,000,000 in Bonds," undated newspaper clipping.
106 "Albany Ready to Welcome Hero Caravan," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection; "Heroes, Stars Set for Evening Rally Program," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
107 "Jap Killer Waves Greeting," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
108 "Corp. Schoenecker's Mother Plans Talk With Son's Pal," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection; untitled and undated clipping, Plainfield newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
109 "I'm Glad to Get Overseas Duty," by GySgt. John Basilone, USMC Archives.
110 Bond Tour Photo Collection, Basilone Family Collection.
111 George Walker letter, September 20, 1943; Mrs. Lloyd T. Schenker letter, September 10, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
112 "Corp. Schoenecker's Mother Plans Talk With Son's Pal," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
113 Sgt. Thomas J. McAllister to Mary G. Basilone, May 25, 1985, Basilone Family Collection.
114 "I'm Glad to Get Overseas Duty," by GySgt. John Basilone, USMC Archives.
115 Mrs. C. B. Butts to John Basilone, October 13, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
116 "Record Crowd, Celebrities Hail Basilone at War Bond Rally," Raritan Valley News, September 23, 1943.
117 "Screen Stars, Military Units, 12 Bands in 2-Mile Parade," Raritan Valley News, September 16, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
118 "Life Goes to a Hero's Homecoming," Life, October 11, 1943 (hereafter Life Article).
119 "Record Crowd, Celebrities Hail Basilone at War Bond Rally," Raritan Valley News, September 23, 1943.
120 Golden Article.
121 "Brother of Manila John Prefers Air Corps to Army, Marines," undated clipping [September 1943] from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
122 Film footage of the John Basilone Day Parade, author's collection.
123 "Sidelights," Raritan Valley News, September 16, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
124 Life Article.
125 "Record Crowd, Celebrities Hail Basilone at War Bond Rally," Raritan Valley News, September 23, 1943.
126 "General Bowers Warns Basilone Day Crowd Against Rosy Dreams," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
127 "Fearless Sgt. Basilone Awed by Actress's Kiss," "20,000 Honor Raritan Hero of Guadalcanal," "Rally Nets $1,300,000 Bonds," all from New York Herald Tribune, September 20, 1943.
128 Movietone News Report, "Marine Sergeant John Basilone Comes Home," in author's possession, as well as a longer, unedited version of the same film footage.
129 John Basilone Speech, handwritten notecards, undated, Basilone Family Collection.
130 "General Bowers Warns Basilone Day Crowd Against Rosy Dreams," undated newspaper clipping.
131 "Manila John," lyrics by W. A. Jack and music by Joseph Memoli, MS, Basilone Family Collection.
132 "Basilone Day," undated clipping from Raritan Valley News, RPL.
133 "Marine Hero Visits Buddies at Manville," Johns- Manville Corporate Publication, undated, Basilone Family Collection.
134 "I'm Glad to Get Overseas Duty," by GySgt. John Basilone, USMC Archives.
135 Sledge to Dear Mom, September 28, 1943, SCAU.
136 "Raritan Recalls Its Hero Marine as a Brave Kid," undated clipping from New York Journal-American, RPL.
137 "Welcoming Committee," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
138 Ibid.
139 "Raritan Hero Got Action He Sought in Marines," June 24, 1943, clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection; see also New York Herald Tribune, June 23, 1943.
140 "Welcoming Committee," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection. The story of John's prowess at boxing has been included in most every account of his life. Along with this interview, the author cites John's official USMC file, which asked for his preferences in sports. He checked "softball" and "golf " [twice], but not boxing.
141 Golden Article.
142 "Welcoming Committee," undated newspaper clipping.
143 Golden Article.
144 Ibid.
145 Sgt. James J. Nicholl letter to John Basilone, November 15, 1943, Basilone Family Collection. Nicholl writes that he received John's letter "about a month ago." Adding the time it took John's letter to reach him, that puts the date of John's letter in late September.
146 Albert Masco (D-1-7) interview, author's collection.
147 Virginia Greer to Mary Basilone, October 11, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
148 Julia McCarthy, "He Got Ammunition--And Medal of Honor," unidentified newspaper, "Brooklyn Section," October 15, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
149 Ibid.
150 John Basilone Personnel File; interviews and e-mails with Donald Basilone, author's collection.
151 Donald Basilone interview with author, author's collection.
152 Sylvia Spears to John Basilone, October 14, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
153 Lt. Pat Heles, Co A, 29th Bn, Ft. McClellan, Alabama, October 14, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
154 Report: Motion Picture Industry in 3rd War Loan Campaign, War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, undated Basilone Family Collection.
155 "Visits Buddy," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Scrapbook, RPL.
156 Undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection; see also letter from Richard Greer to John Basilone, November 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
157 Family Photos, Basilone Family Collection.
158 John Basilone Western Union Telegram, November 2, 1943, Basilone Family Collection. John sent a telegram to Mary, asking about having someone meet him at the Raritan train station at ten p.m.; he was on his way back from Pennsylvania.
159 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, " To All Hands," 1982, SCAU.
160 "Chock to Chock."
161 Jean Micheel interview with author.
162 John, Carlo, and Angelo Basilone, November 9, 1943, LWO 5833, GR11, 6B3, Library of Congress.
163 Dorothy Zimmer letter to John Basilone, November 10, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
164 Cpl. Carolyn M. Orchovic letters to John Basilone, October 23, November 1, and December 14, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
165 Thomas Gallaher, "The Marine Who Had to Go Back," undated article from unidentified magazine, USMC Archives.
166 Don Basilone interviews and e-mails with author, November 2008, author's collection.
167 Interview with Mary Basilone, in the documentary The Saga of Manila John, undated, Chuck Tatum Productions.
168 Sgt. James J. Nicholl to John Basilone, November 15, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
169 Since the war, other escapees have written books about their experience. All sorts of differences exist, of course, in the details. Shofner's memo to MacArthur's HQ, dated 3 December 1943, was used here in combination with his memoir and his diary because this is Shofner's story. See also: Stephen Mellnik, Philippine War Diary; Jack Hawkins, Never Say Die; Sam Grashio and Bernar
d Norling, Return to Freedom; Ed Dyess's serialized account in the Chicago Daily Tribune (beginning January 30, 1944); Melvyn McCoy and Stephen Mellnik, Ten Escaped Tojo; and Michael Dobervich's letter dated December 4, 1995, to Dear Shof and Family, SCAU.
170 Martin Shofner e-mail to author, author's collection.
171 Flyer and photos of this event are available at www.cimorelli.com/pie/heroes/basilone.
172 "Invest in America," undated photo, New York Journal- American, Basilone Family Collection.
173 Ibid. A lot of Basilone's biographers assert that Basilone spoke to Vandegrift at this event, asking to be reassigned. A close reading of the documents, however, reveals that no definitive date on which Basilone made this request can be ascertained. The underlying assumption, that Basilone would have needed help from Vandegrift to get reassigned, has not been proven and remains suspect. It seems clear that if Basilone did speak to Vandegrift here, he had to repeat his request later. For the author, the date inscribed upon the base of John Basilone's statue in Raritan, combined with the recollection of his sister Mary Basilone, is instructive. The base lists his return date as December 27, 1943. This date does not correlate with John's transfer orders or with any of the official paperwork related to his transfer. It is the date when he departed Raritan to return to active duty in D.C. This date, when combined with the Mary Basilone quote as well as the tiny news item "Guadalcanal Hero Tires of Talk, Wants Action" in the Basilone Family Collection, points to John telling his parents before he left for D.C. that he was going to request reassignment. He did not return home, and therefore December 27 became the date his mother gave the sculptor. The first request for John's transfer made by the commandant's office was dated December 29, 1943, but it does not name the commandant. Given the date, the commandant referred to would have been Gen. Thomas Holcomb, Vandegrift's predecessor.
174 "Service Men Honored," December 11, 1943, clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection.
175 Richard Greer to John Basilone, November 27, 1943, Basilone Family Collection.
176 "Chock to Chock."
177 The story of meeting his girlfriend, as related on p. 70 of Shofner's "WWII Memories," was confirmed by the author's interview with Col. Jack Hawkins. Much of the rest of Shofner's description in his memoir of his visit to D.C. is, however, at odds with the official records in his personnel file, with the reports he wrote, and with his diary.
178 Col. Jack Hawkins interview, author's collection. This film was never made because, according to Colonel Hawkins, the censors rejected the screenplays. Hawkins returned to active duty and served in the Battle of Okinawa.
179 The diary of John W. Tatum provided the date on which his company was briefed on the details of the invasion. The details themselves are found in "Phase II, Part II, Green Beach Landings," Special Action Report of the First Marines, Box 232, RG 127, NARA.
180 "A Family Look at John Basilone," Observer, February 11, 1988, p. 9, RPL; see also interviews with his family members in The Saga of Manila John, a documentary produced by Chuck Tatum Productions.
181 John Basilone USMC Service Record Book, Personnel Records, NRC.
182 Interview with Mary Basilone, in the documentary The Saga of Manila John, undated, Chuck Tatum Productions.
183 Interviews with Angelo and Carlo Basilone, in the documentary The Saga of Manila John, undated, Chuck Tatum Productions.
184 "Guadalcanal Hero Tires of Talk, Wants Action," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, Basilone Family Collection. This brief news item appeared after John had departed for California.
185 "Sergeant John Basilone, Hero of Marines Killed on Iwo Jima," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, RPL.
186 "Guadalcanal Hero Tires of Talk, Wants Action," undated newspaper clipping.
187 "Basilone Killed While Leading Platoon on Iwo," Courier News, March 8, 1945.
ACT IV
1 "Phase II, Part II, Green Beach Landings," Special Action Report of the First Marines, Box 232, RG 127, NARA.
2 The Special Action Report of the First Marines states that the enemy hit G Company. However, Tatum's diary and Phillips's memoir make clear that How Company sustained the majority of the casualties.
3 This figure comes from Tatum's diary. The actual figure of enemy dead, according to Masters's report, was 83. The enemy wounded had been dragged away.
4 "Chock to Chock."
5 John McCarthy, in his memoir "Scouting Six at Midway," available at www.cv6.org, discusses these fuel-saving procedures.
6 "Chock to Chock."
7 Ibid.
8 "Phase II, Part II, Green Beach Landings," Special Action Report of the First Marines, Box 232, RG 127, NARA.
9 Robert Witty, Marines of the Margarita: The Story of Camp Pendleton, 1970, p. 10. A veteran made some of this book available to the author, but the publishing information was not included.
10 Charles W. Tatum, Iwo Jima: Red Blood Black Sand Pacific Apocalypse (Stockton, California: Chuck Tatum Productions, 2002), p. 36.
11 Howard M. Conner, The Spearhead: The WWII History of the Fifth Marine Division (Nashville, Tennessee: The Battery Press, 1950), p. 2.
12 Walter Bandyk interview, Headquarters Company, 27 Regiment, author's collection.
13 Interview with Lt. Col. Justin Duryea, in the documentary The Saga of Manila John, Chuck Tatum Productions.
14 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 41; Chuck Tatum interviews, author's collection. Basilone's Service Book does not show he ever served in B Company, 1/27, but he was assigned to the battalion HQ for a period before being assigned to C/1/27.
15 "I'm Glad to Get Overseas Duty," by GySgt. John Basilone, USMC Archives.
16 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 33.
17 Lt. John Keith Wells, Give Me Fifty Marines Not Afraid to Die (privately published, 1995), p. 89.
18 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 38.
19 Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection, 07B.
20 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 39.
21 John Basilone to Dear Mom and Pop, undated, Basilone Family Collection.
22 Letter to John Basilone, signature illegible, dated Tuesday 25th [January] 1944, Basilone Family Collection.
23 Proceedings and Debates of the 78th Congress, 2nd Session, Appendix, Vol. 90, Part 11, "General MacArthur's Role in the War Against Japan, Remarks by Hon. Carl Hatch," pp. A3943-A4906. Hatch quotes Governor Thomas Dewey of New York, who delivered the remarks cited here.
24 www.imdb.com.
25 Senate of the United States, "Exchange and Treatment of Prisoners of War: Remarks of Hon. Elbert D. Thomas," 78th Congress, 1st Session, November 18, 1943, p. 1. Senator Thomas of Utah stated that "the office of practically every Senator is calling my office and asking questions regarding war prisoners held in the Far East."
26 "Promotion of Certain American Prisoners of War," Hearings Before the Committee of Military Affairs, United States Senate, 78th Congress, First and Second Sessions (October 15-December 1, 1943), pp. 1, 29.
27 Ibid. p. 11.
28 Lt. Col. W. E. Dyess, "Dyess--One Man Scourge of Jap Supply Fleet Off Bataan," Chicago Daily Tribune, February 2, 1944, p. 1.
29 "The Beasts of the Pacific," Chicago Daily Tribune, January 29, 1944, p. 10.
30 John H. Criders, "Ruin Japan!" The New York Times, January 29, 1944, p. 1; see also "War Bond Sales Soar Here in Reaction to Atrocities," The New York Times, January 29, 1944, p. 1.
31 "Promotion of Certain American Prisoners of War," Hearings Before the Committee of Military Affairs, p. 23.
32 Condit and Turnbladh, Hold High the Torch, p. 195.
33 "Chock to Chock."
34 After Action Report, VB-2, author's copy courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida.
35 Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection; Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, pp. 45-46.
36 Wells, Give Me Fifty Marines, p. 97; Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 33.
37
Conner, The Spearhead, p. 1.
38 Wells, Give Me Fifty Marines, pp. 95-96.
39 Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection.
40 William Douglas Lansford, "The Life and Death of 'Manila John,' " Leatherneck, October 2002, vol. 85, #10.
41 Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection.
42 Interview with Roy Elsner, Lucille Otis, and Clinton Watters, author's collection.
43 "Brother: Johnny Went Back to 'Those Kids' at War," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, RPL.
44 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 67.
45 Charles Tatum interview with author, author's collection.
46 Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection; Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 67. The line promotion is dated February 11 in Service Record Book, Medical Records, Basilone USMC Personnel File, NRC.
47 "Public Voucher for 6 Months Death Gratuity Pay," John Basilone Personnel File, NRC.
48 Sledge's letter announcing his arrival was dated February 17, 1943; the date of arrival listed in his USMC Personnel File is April 16, 1943.
49 Jack Hawkins interviews, author's collection; Grashio and Norling, Return to Freedom.
50 "I'm Glad to Get Overseas Duty," by GySgt. John Basilone, USMC Archives. The polished writing and use of obscure words make it obvious that Basilone did not write this article himself. The piece was not picked up immediately by any newspapers so it likely was a proactive effort on the part of the USMC, possibly at Basilone's instigation. The mention of the "girl back East" means it was written before he met Lena and after his promotion to gunnery sergeant.
51 John Basilone to Dearest Mother and Dad, undated letter, Basilone Family Collection. John begins it with a reference to his brother George's survival of the 4th Division's invasion of the Marshall Islands.
52 Clinton Watters interview, author's collection; C-1-27 Muster Roll, January 31, 1945.
53 Clinton Watters letter to author, July 5, 2007.
54 Ibid.; Watters letter to author, November 22, 2007.
55 "Basilone Legacy Lives On in Heart of WWII Veteran," undated news item in the Scout, the newspaper of the USMC base at Camp Pendleton (hereafter Lena Basilone interview, Scout Article); Lucille Otis interview with Dustin Spence, author's collection. All of the participants disagree as to the exact date of their meeting. Lena herself gave different statements. Her most powerful memory--of going on leave the day after she met him--has been tracked to her USMC Personnel File, which lists the date of that leave.