+Canaan B Bravo Zulu

She's medal of honor material, too.

Canaan B Behind every great man there is always a greater women. John and Lena surely embody that saying.

+80811x Not always.

Canaan B 😭😭😭😥😥😥

Nice, he is a hero to many of us throughout this great country. Thank you for your post. GOD bless you and your family.

Well he is the second most famous Marine to date.

Caesar Seriona Who's the 1st?

Chesty Puller perhaps?

Sorry I missed it this year.

Nicely put,,,

You literally hit the nail on the proverbial head...

Well written.

Summed it up perfectly!

They didn’t meet yet because there wasn’t time during the war. They were in CA and NJ is on the other side of the country. She stayed in touch with them and she never remarried.

It literally did not melt your heart, if it did you would literally be dead. Kids, stop using words you don't understand, it just makes you seem like r3tards.

Tom Sullivan, from Waterloo, Iowa lost 5 boys in WWII. You might have heard of the Sullivan Brothers and how they died on the USS Juneau. How he and his wife lived through that I will never know.

im sure he was proud of his son but im sure he always was i myself cant see a medal as a fair trade for ones child.

@@miketaylor5212 No, it isn't, but he traded his life so you can be here to comment. Freedom is never free.

I agree a very well done scene

Don't think for a minute you were the only one.

I am a Marine too, my Great Uncle was with 1/27 the same unit as Gunny Basilone on Iwo, I know Basilone road well too. Semper FI.

In another life I was Corpsman attached stationed on Pendleton, I remember Basilone road on the base.

Semper Fi MF.

Indeed!!

years ago I was on that part of HWY 5 and saw the signage...Then I researched who Basilone was. What a hero. Just unbelievable what he did. RIP.

Heartbreaking, but thanks for sharing. RIP, Marine and beloved.

I'm sorry that you never got to know your Dad...I'm also sorry that he was killed in action...he was a true American hero...🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 May your Dad Rest in Peace 💙🇺🇸 God Bless the Greatest Generation to have ever lived!!

May your Dad Rest in Peace Greatest Generation to have ever lived!!

Very sorry that happened. I'm sure your dad is resting in peace. Part of the absolute greatest generation ever!

Makes you want to hug him as well 😢

I wonder if she became close with the family, like a true daughter-in-law.

That was emotionally difficult to watch.

@@penchant1972 my understanding was the family didn't have a close relationship with her since their wedding was an abrupt affair.

She was involved in a lot of support organizations for Veterans! Tough and wonderful lady. Also there's a little road named after him near the Marine base on the way to San Diego. Pne of the only selfies I've ever taken- was me standing next to the sign!

Amen to that.

merit2591 Your dad still alive ?

and now? still alive?

Semper Fi, Devil.

merit2591 : My father served with the Third Division on Bounginville. Where did your father serve?

My Father was Amphibious Assault U.S.S. Hocking, "Pa 121' , UDT-1 , took the Marines into Green Beach at Iwo . He passed away in April of 2019 at the age of 96 . We are lucky to have father's like that the most badass generation

“She does all Marines proud.”

A noble gesture she made

@@DirtNastyCivilian A Marine is a Marine, well said. 🙂Gender aside, male or female dosnt matter. Marine first. She and her husband brought and kept the honor of the corps. A fine example...

@@razor6888 My wife is a Marine. She's been out 20 years, and the Marines broke her. But despite the daily pain, she's still proud of her time, and she shares a bond I can never have.

She was a formidable woman by all accounts, and she never remarried.

Really? That's amazing!! How proud you must be of your Uncle!! God Bless the United States Marines!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

My Great Uncle was with 1/27 the same unit as John on Iwo Jima, he met him on the ship on the way to the Iwo.

My uncle is a dentist. He's a dickhead to be honest.

Mike Silk 😂😂😂

What an HONOR!

They should have been buried by each other...🥺🇺🇸💙❤

Dig em up

@@whosyourdaddy5719 not true; many wives/dependents buried there as well as veterans. Lee Marvin and Audie Murphy are there, they didn't die in combat.

@@whosyourdaddy5719 wrong!

My mother is buried in Arlington and my father will join her when he dies.

Yes; they do. And there are quite a lot of them.

The last sentence makes you a royal pos. Truly.

Dope comment until you decided to let everyone know you have a clinical case of gets no pussy.

​@@davidowens5898no there are not!

@@davidowens5898there are not - especially in the US. Women here are selfish and nasty.

Think everybody who's a Veteran has a tuff with this scene

@@elliothagen9874 Understood.

Wow 4 campaign s as a Marine in wwtwo truly is the greatest generation

I know what you mean in 1990-94, I got to meet one of the 4 or 5 inch main guns from the USS Ward, she fired the first shot at Pearl Harbor sinking a IJN mini sub that was trying to slip into the harbor for the attack.... He told me how the first shot missed, second shot hit the coning tower at the base just above the main body... I want to say he was on the gun that didn't fire.... He was telling me this then had showed me how the stations worked to turn and lift the gun... That gun is sitting at the Minnesota state capital as most of the crew came from the state. I was 6-10 years old.... What a honor to get to meet the vet and get first hand account of some of his time in the service....This was well before the U of Hawaii found the mini sub to confirm it the story...

Amen to that, William! Just imagine the USS Clinton, the USS Obama, or the USS Trump .... USS Bush, I can see, given HW's very noble WWII service. Even W for that matter, although his service was anything but heroic.

I think there is a newer ship to be commissioned soon. www.pendleton.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/916617/arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-officially-named-the-dd-122-uss-basilone/

@tomtolbert32, uh, what?

@tomtolbert32, I think that you are going to tell me that you are one who thinks that John McCain was a traitor, no? But clarify if you are talking about Jr. or Sr. The vessel is named for Sr.

Agreed. And aircraft carriers can only be named after presidents who were veteran's or were president's in a declared war.

Thanks for that!

Wow. If I understand correctly his father had fallen senile and still believed Basilone was alive. Truly sad.

Thank you for that. I was wondering what he had said.

@@ShmokeyBandit Sharp observation. Yes, sad.

My grandfather served in New Guinea and the Philippines and later also Korea. You and your father have my sincere respect.

Please tell your father Thank You for his service..I have the utmost respect for men like your father and especially the United States Marines!! 🇺🇸❤🇺🇸❤🇺🇸❤

My dad was a Sgt at Chosin. 1st Marines. Semper Fi

My heart goes out to the Marines who made the miserable march from the Frozen Chosin in the dead of a bitter cold Korean winter, the corpsmen had to keep their forceps busy removing frostbitten fingers and toes. Mad respect to them all.

@@jasondecharleroy4161 ..Joe Basilone served some time also in the Philippines.. According to his acquaintances..he liked the place and was always talking about Manila that he was referred to as " MANILA Joe"..

In the Bible’s view of reality, Heaven is not some far off place, but right here: invisible to us only because of our insensibility.

beautiful thought.

im not religious either, I believe they'll meet on the other side

@@JRobbySh Well put Judy S. It's also in the love that we show to each other each and every day.

If you’re not religious you will know heaven is a fictional place made up by religious groups to fool us into giving them money

Amen.

It was uneven because it covered different Marines who had combat in different places.

@@stephengross4704 Exactly. It didn't flow as well as Band of Brothers did for that exact reason.

Id say from the time Sledgehammer is put into training it’s incredible and flows much better. Basilgone is a fantastic episode but.1 and 3 just felt off.

With BoB we followed along with the men of Easy Coy as they trained developed and eventually went to war. We were invested and got to know the characters well. The Pacific on the other hand followed several different characters who's stories were not all that entwined. Each character had their own story and perspective. We didn't have the flow as we did while following one group of men from start to finish. I think, at least in my mind, that it's part of the reason a lot of viewers say it's hard to follow, or that BoB was the better of the two. I love both productions for what they are, both told in different ways.

They were american heroes goddamnit

Had a tear at this one....

John's dad was most devastated, because of that realization of John's passing. How could you even compensate for something like that. What a scene/

I agree

She's next of kin as his wife, it was given to her as her right.

@Patrick: which is why Mike said "a very generous gesture."

Good point.

@@patrickmcshane7658 John had already had the Medal for more than a year before he met Lena. He was the one that gave it to her, not the government. The Navy Cross he won on Iwo Jima would have been presented to her as it was awarded posthumously.

@@flyboy152 All his belongings would be returned to her as his next of kin. Doesn't matter when it was awarded, it would be returned to her.

warren lynch thank you for your service brother.

God's good rest, Marine.

Amen brother .

Brother I want to thank your father for his service, and having a fine man for a son thank you just know you are loved and your family is highly respected......my boy will know what your daddy did for us I swear to you that brother. May the lord bless and keep your father in paradise forever at his side and may you and your family be blessed and good fortune always be onto you ok.🇺🇸

Thank you for your service sir

God bless him. I had the honor to meet and work with some Iwo guys on the Jersey City Police Department. My Dad lost a leg as a medic in the Philippines . These were the greatest American generation.

Watch the scene in "Saving Private Ryan" where the car is driving up the dirt driveway to the Ryan farmhouse and the Mother comes out to find out that almost all of her sons have been killed in action. Granted, this was a purely fictional account. However the loss of the five Sullivan brothers with the sinking of the USS Juneau was real. It had a significant impact on family policy in the military and the meaning of sacrifice in defending the nation. And unlike every war since WW II, our nation was in grave danger. My father was at Hickam Field on Dec 7, one of the first military installations to be hit by the Japanese. I was in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, and my British mother survived the London Blitz while working for the British Navy.

Anyone know if she's still alive? If she did die how long ago?

She passed away in 1999

Wayne johnson sadly alone as she thought no one could match up to john basilone

Honestly no one probably would've matched up to him.

There no such thing as moving on

At the same time it makes me want to watch the entire series again.

@@NYCamper62 I'm at that stage too. Going through and watching all these tiny clips with tears welting up in my eyes debating on if I should rewatch it or not.

He said that he was just a plain soldier. Oh my.

Marine. John Basilone was a Marine.

The statue of him in Raritan, NJ is pretty poignant as well I grew up driving past it often..

Amen!!! A Marine, through and through. Semper Fi.

Sledge found some peace after his return home by choosing a career as a biologist. After witnessing so much death, he devoted his remaining years to the study of life.

He might have been temporarily buried on Iwo Jima, but John Basilone is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

I believe because of Basilone, Medal of Honor recipients are no longer allowed to continue service in combat zones for PR purposes

He's back home now. All Marine war dead are now home.

My son is a Marine. He volunteered to go too Iraq with RCT 8. And when RCT8 went to Afghanistan gunny Galloway ask him to come with them . So he volunteered. He could have came home early from Afghanistan but gave his set up for other Marines he felt needed to be home worse then him. He was there three extra month's. I am very proud of him. And so blessed he is home safe. And I think I understand the Frustration John's parents must have felt when he went back. God how you hate to see them leave.

@Tony Lam I think you misunderstood the comment. Jeremy Mendoza wasn't saying Basilone went back to combat for the publicity. He means that now MoH winners are not usually allowed to go back into combat due to the bad publicity it causes to have one killed.

Loser

like the 20 brave soldiers who received the medal of honor for the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890

​@@mrj1000that is what YOU get when you elect individual politicians that do not understand the value of the oath they take. Or the souls that paid in blood for that oath. You want different, Then hold them politicians accountable. Because accountability starts at the top.

I felt the same about my generation coming of age in the mid-1980's. Never had many friends my own age. They were spoiled children. I went into the Navy right out of high school. Thirty-plus years later, most people are worse now than then. Spoiled children in adult bodies, raising spoiled children of their own. To this day, I do not understand them. I stopped trying many years ago. You are clearly cut from a different cloth. That's a good thing. Never follow the herd. Sometimes the herd panics, & stampedes off a cliff! You'll have some lonely days, but remember; there are worse things than being alone. It's a path few have the strength to tread. Regardless, I wish you well in all your endeavors. Success in all your challenges. Peace in all your days.

So sad and it's dangerous to be ignorant of ones country history and in America the radical left want to tarnish banned our history

You'll be sad to hear its even worse nowadays.

When ,not if, but when harder times come your understanding and wisdom beyond your years will make a difference. And circumstances can change your generation. It did for WW2 people. Each genetation has to sort themselves out.

Robert Leckie (in real life) did suffer from PTSD. His wife Vera was interviewed a few years ago and she said he had nightmares throughout his entire life and had to be calmed down, also when he was losing his memory to dementia he still vividly remember his war experience.

No fucking shit there are things called books, but plenty dont read books, or they find an interesting book to read AFTER seeing the series.

***** Please. Talk about sanctimonious. Look at your own posts. "Also, they were not the greatest generation as the book would indicate...its a myth, a fantasy." No, not really. That generation served us in WWII and then sent man to the moon had one of the best years of post-war growth the US has ever seen, period. "If they were so great, African Americans would have been able to do something as simple as sit at the lunch counter in a diner without being arrested, or women would not have been thought of as fungible, objectified household servants with zero rights, or gays would not have been dismissed as subhuman, or there would have been no need for SEPARATE black units or there would have been no need to put into prison camps an entire race of people who were in fact American and who's ancestral homeland was at war with us...the lost goes on. Hardly so great." I said GREATEST GENERATION, not PERFECT generation. I love how you spout off about my words and other Americans as "sanctimonious", yet you judge this generation not on it's whole as a society but on its failings. And I say this as a Native (Ho-Chunk) who has served in three military branches. "I would love to see truth...not some nationalistic homogenized version of what Americans need to see to validate ourselves. Truth is more important than well done drama that makes us out to be heros." The truth is that they WERE heroes. Yes, IMPERFECT, FLAWED heroes. I have no problem with having great respect for humans that were FLAWED but real. Apparently, you need your "heroes" as ABSOLUTELY TRUTHFUL and PERFECT in every way. I don't, I'm much more realistic about who I hold up to the standard of hero. Combat and the world we live in has brought me to this point of view.

***** Yes, they were the greatest generation. Again, flawed and imperfect, yet the greatest. What that generation accomplished is far beyond what GenX did for the US, and that's coming from a GenX'er. "As I said. In fact, if we were to measure put metrics around the measurable positive effects of each generation to include literally everything from industry to technology to peace, war etc...the generation of people born in the 1920's was measurably not the greatest. That is empirical." OK, so start spilling out your metrics. I want to see how they are not above any generation before or after them? In terms of economic and technologic achievements. Most of the society we have today still owes it's roots to that founding era. If you want to make this a statistics debate, fire away. "You again, drown your comment in nationalism, sanctimony and fallacy. Its not enough to simply say...Yeah the guys that went around lighting japanese soldier afire and tortured them, or the guys that literally took tanks and ran over their own wounded men who were crushed and screaming in the streets of europe as flawed. These were brutal, disgusting murderous things...not flaws or defects as in some systems glitch...but rather, purposeful, maleficent, inhuman events." Yes, those were brutal and murderous things. But it was not the WHOLE GENERATION that did those things. Those were the failings of some. Did this generation try to exterminate the Jews? No, that was the German Nazi regime. "I do love how you try to throw yourself int he mix of those to be sanctimoniously worshiped as though having a combat action ribbon somehow makes you a better critical thinker...it doesnt. My degree from Columbia does, not my ten years in the suck." I have no idea where you get that, that's your own twisted take on my actual words. I would never even claim to want the respect I give to those of that generation. I simply put my military experience there as a backdrop to explain that I understand the realities of war, nothing more. If you supposedly were in "the suck", you just contradicted yourself. When you said earlier that "combat and the world we live in has brought ME to this point" yet you say that your degree from Columbia makes you a better critical thinker. Nope, don't think so. If I'm reading you right, you were in the Marines, got out, went to and grad from Columbia? So how does a Columbia degree give you a better perspective and worldview than mine? Or appreciation of real-world knowledge that supposedly "led you to where you are" now? I was in the Marines for five years, grad from Nebraska-Lincoln, then USN officer, then USAF reserve. In all of those times, I learned the most about the world when I was overseas with the military. Not simply fighting wars, but meeting and exploring other peoples/cultures during off-times and port calls. I would put those experiences far above what I learned in college. So now, when I apply my already critical thinking to the real-world, it is tempered with the knowledge and understanding of REAL PEOPLE and my experiences.

***** "Yet again drowned in nationalism and false, fallacious patriotism and glorifying an entire generation because you watched a mini-series...thats brilliant" Nope. You made that assumption. I glorify an entire generation because I have read about all the things they have done. As I've said, I was grateful the producers made the series to give others a glimpse into what I have read about and maybe take up and interest in history themselves. "Ok then lets put our a metric...or two or three. In 1941 Japanese Americans had zero freedoms, zero constitutional rights and lost everything they owned including businesses, family fortunes and their liberties. Today, Japanese enjoy 100% more freedoms. Thats an improvement of 100 percent...its a solid empirical metric...I do this for a living there slappy...quantitative analysis that is." Seriously, you call that a metric? Where did you say you went to school? Columbia? You need to go back to them and get your money back... If you call that "quantitative analysis", then you are seriously doing some powerful drugs. Metrics in favor of your argument would show that because of improper imprisonment, Japanese/American nationals or immigrants earnings were affected. "So lets talk about Black Americans and use similar metrics...I think you see where this going. You said '(y)es, those were brutal and murderous things. But it was not the WHOLE GENERATION that did those things.' and ipso facto that means that not everyone was great as well." Sure, lets talk about it, since race seems to be the DOMINANT THEME (from a Columbia grad, not surprising) of your counter-argument. No, not everyone was great, but their accomplishments as a whole, from the time of Post-Depression America, to the so-called Space Race, this generation was easily the greatest. "..'I would never even claim to want the respect I give to those of that generation. I simply put my military experience there as a backdrop to explain that I understand the realities of war, nothing more.' Lol ok . You absolutely put yourself in with them...there is no point at all to say that you were in combat except to align yourself with those who you are revering and complimenting thus you try to include yourself as someone who has experienced combat ...like those of the 'greatest generation' you dont make a point no to want respect but rather to show how you should be respected and how your combat and life experience has made you knowledgeable." Again, you make the mistake of assuming that I put my military experience to say that I was "one of them". I wasn't. I was putting out my military experience to show that I understand how rough combat is on people, and I don't armchair QB their fallacies when they happen. I am twisting nothing. "Also, you say "Did this generation try to exterminate the Jews? No, that was the German Nazi regime." lol, seriously? Yes, that is the same generation..." Are you seriously arguing that "the greatest generation" tag involves non-Americans? I don't see the GenX tag that applies to Europeans, does it? Or any other country than America. Those generational tags are Americana, not worldly. Your point is just fucking stupid. Get a refund on that "Columbia education". "Gen X effectuated technological advancements that exponentially have advanced medicine, energy, life, freedoms, rights, awareness and more. We fought wars, created the largest stock market, built the wealthiest country on the planet where trillions of dollars are created, advanced the cause for peace and assistance to third world countries building hospitals, schools and other measurable positive effect." GenX created technological advancements ON THE BACKS of the technology PIONEERED by the "greatest generation". Can you honestly say that the US would have the military, technological, or financial edge it does without the developments of the late 40s/50s/60s? If yes, again, smoking crack. Militarily... easy. M-16 rifle (second to AK-47 worldwide today), F-15, F-16, F-18 were all borne of programs of the 1960s. Technological...easy. Multiple US development and patents in transistors and computer development. Laser development, 1958. All the benefits of the Moon Landings, that turned civilian. Financial...easy. Under Eisenhower, the US became the financially dominant world power and continues to this day. As a matter of fact, the US highway system still bears his name, the Eisenhower highway system, and still maintains those guidelines. "Anyone could easily argue that GENX is a much greater generation in terms of actual measurable achievements...perhaps not a great dramatic mini series but better. If you write more I wont write until later tonight." Nope. I'm a GenX'er and wouldn't even attempt to argue something soo pitiful. Granted GenX'ers have alot to be proud of, we took alot of the work the "greatest generation" did and moved it far more forward than any other previous generation, but we did it ON THE BACKS of the works they accomplished decades before. Your foolish counter-argument that I used this mini-series to make my determination that this is the "greatest generation" is simply bad. I made no such determination. I simply said I was grateful the producers made this series so that others could see what I saw in how the "greatest generation" handled WWII.

Nothing like walking away from an argument and not having anything to reply to when I cite actual statistics of what was accomplished. "Ivory Towers" eh? Funny that you should mention that, yet have nothing to back up your counter-arguments. What's new for your generation? Damn, Gen Y'ers. Can't do a damn thing, except argue about arguing. Oh well.

Brought to you by the same gentlemen who filmed the famous Gold Star mother non-verbal scene in Saving Private Ryan, which I thought equally as powerful as this Basilone scene.

You might be right. Such a hard competition though

Agreed, Adam, but the end of Band of Brothers brought the viewer back into "today's world," where we got to hear the real Dick Winters and his men speak directly to us, and praise their friends who never returned.

True. But I thought Band of Brothers was more watchable. It was more entertaining though.

Next spring the third series is to be released, titled Masters of the Air. It is about the Eighth Air Force. Many people don't realize the sheer magnitude of the sacrifice they made. In the bombing missions over Europe, they lost over 10,000 aircraft, and 26,000 men. With another 28,000 men became prisoners of war. I just read the book on which it is based, and it is excellent.

@@texaswunderkind I will watch it for sure. Wasn’t aware it was being produced. Thanks for the heads up. The pressure the men of the 8th Army Air Corps were under was incredible. The very fine movie ‘12 O’clock High’ is testament to their sacrifice.

Audie Murphy is, of course. famous. I am pretty sure that the two men would have liked one another.

I know man.