List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
J
Table:
Image
Name
Service
Rank
Place of action
Date of action
Notes

—

Isadore S. Jachman †

Army

Staff Sergeant

Flamierge, Belgium

January 4, 1945

Arthur J. Jackson

Marine Corps

Private First Class

Island of Peleliu, Palau group

September 18, 1944

Douglas T. Jacobson

Marine Corps

Private First Class

Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands

February 26, 1945

—

Willy F. James, Jr. †

Army

Private First Class

near Lippoldsberg, Germany

April 7, 1945

One of seven African American soldiers who received their medals belatedly, after a 1993 study revealed discrimination that caused them to be overlooked at the time.

File:Jerstad.jpg

John L. Jerstad †

Air Forces

Major

Ploiești Raid, Romania

August 1, 1943

—

Elden H. Johnson †

Army

Private

near Valmontone, Italy

June 3, 1944

Leon W. Johnson

Air Forces

Colonel

Ploiești Raid, Romania

August 1, 1943

—

Leroy Johnson †

Army

Sergeant

near Limon, Leyte, Philippines

December 15, 1944

—

Oscar G. Johnson

Army

Private First Class

near Scarperia, Italy

September 16, 1944 – September 18, 1944

—

William J. Johnston

Army

Private First Class

Anzio, Italy[5]

February 17, 1944 – February 19, 1944

Johnston was a machine gunner attached to the Third Platoon of his company and that platoon was the furthest advanced element in the Company's defenses. About eighty Germans advanced under the cover of an artillery barrage in the darkness and were within about 200 yards of the platoon's positions when they were discovered by Johnston who was at his gun. He manned his machine gun and the attack was halted. All during the day, without relief, he remained with his weapon and fired at every target that presented itself. One German worked up the draw so close to the position that the machine gun could not be brought to bear upon him. Johnston drew his pistol and killed him. As the day wore on, it became evident that if the Company was to escape it would have to begin its movement. Not everyone could get out. Johnson volunteered to stay. Afterwards an artillery shell made what almost amounted to a direct hit on Johnston's position and shell fragments penetrated into the left portion of his chest. An examination indicated that he was dying. The rapid advance of large numbers of the Germans prevented any evacuation. A few minutes later one of the last men to withdraw saw Johnston trying to crawl up to his machine gun. At Johnston's request he was helped to his gun and left believing that he was dying. A few minutes later the Company heard the machine gun in action. It continued to fire for about 10 minutes. Afterwards the gun went silent. The Germans passed him as he lay in his position, and, believing him to be dead, stole his shoes. The next day, he painfully worked his way through the German lines to the 180th Regiment, after having been reported by the Company as killed in action. Despite his weakened condition, he gave accurate and vital information about the German positions on the base of which effective firing that was compiled.[5]

Herbert C. Jones †

Navy

Ensign

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

December 7, 1941

Joseph R. Julian †

Marine Corps

Platoon Sergeant

Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands

March 9, 1945

Considering the provided table along with the supporting text listed at the end.

Give the answer to the question: What is the full name of the oldest recipient which died in a war ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

Isadore Siegfried Jachman ( December 14 , 1922 - January 4 , 1945 ) was a United States Army staff sergeant who was killed in World War II after defending the town of Flamierge in Belgium from a German attack on January 4 , 1945 , for which he received the Medal of Honor .
Killed in action ( KIA ) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own combatants at the hands of hostile forces . The United States Department of Defense , for example , says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to hostile attack . KIAs include those killed by friendly fire in the midst of combat , but not from incidents such as accidental vehicle crashes , murder and other non-hostile events or terrorism . KIA can be applied both to front-line combat troops and to naval , air and support troops . Someone who is killed in action during a particular event is denoted with a † ( dagger ) beside their name to signify their death in that event or events . [ citation needed ] Further , KIA denotes a person to have been killed in action on the battlefield whereas died of wounds ( DOW ) relates to someone who survived to reach a medical treatment facility . The North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) also uses DWRIA , rather than DOW , for died of wounds received in action . However , historically , militaries and historians have used the former acronym . [ citation needed ] PKIA means presumed killed in action . This term is used when personnel are lost in battle , initially listed missing in action ( MIA ) , but after not being found , are later presumed to have not survived .
The United States Army ( USA ) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces . It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services , and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution . As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence , the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army , which was formed ( 14 June 1775 ) to fight the American Revolutionary War ( 1775-1783 ) - before the United States of America was established as a country . After the Revolutionary War , the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army . The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army , and considers its institutional inception to be the origin of that armed force in 1775 . As a uniformed military service , the U.S. Army is part of the Department of the Army , which is one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense . The U.S. Army is headed by a civilian senior appointed civil servant , the secretary of the Army ( SECARMY ) and by a chief military officer , the chief of staff of the Army ( CSA ) who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . It is the largest military branch , and in the fiscal year 2017 , the projected end strength for the Regular Army ( USA ) was 476,000 soldiers ; the Army National Guard ( ARNG ) had 343,000 soldiers and the U.S. Army Reserve ( USAR ) had 199,000 soldiers ; the combined-component strength of the U.S. Army was 1,018,000 soldiers . As a branch of the armed forces , the mission of the U.S. Army is to fight and win our Nation 's wars , by providing prompt , sustained land dominance , across the full range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict , in support of combatant commanders . The branch participates in conflicts worldwide and is the major ground-based offensive and defensive force of the United States .
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of several countries . It is also a police rank in some police services .
Captain Arthur Junior Jackson ( October 18 , 1924 - June 14 , 2017 ) was a United States Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Peleliu during World War II . At the age of 19 , PFC Jackson single-handedly destroyed 12 enemy pillboxes and killed 50 enemy soldiers . He was also the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Battle of Peleliu . On September 30 , 1961 , while serving at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Jackson fatally shot a Cuban worker and suspected communist spy , in self-defense after Sabariego attacked him . He eventually buried the body in a shallow grave , but word leaked out . He left the Marine Corps in 1962 after being denied a court-martial to clear his name .
The United States Marine Corps ( USMC ) , also referred to as the United States Marines , is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations with the United States Navy as well as the Army and Air Force . The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . The Marine Corps has been a component of the U.S. Department of the Navy since 30 June 1834 , working closely with naval forces . The USMC operates installations on land and aboard sea-going amphibious warfare ships around the world . Additionally , several of the Marines ' tactical aviation squadrons , primarily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons , are also embedded in Navy carrier air wings and operate from the aircraft carriers . The history of the Marine Corps began when two battalions of Continental Marines were formed on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as a service branch of infantry troops capable of fighting both at sea and on shore . In the Pacific theater of World War II the Corps took the lead in a massive campaign of amphibious warfare , advancing from island to island . As of 2017 , the USMC has around 186,000 active duty members and some 38,500 personnel in reserve .
Private First Class ( PFC ) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in some countries ' armed forces .
Major Douglas Thomas Jacobson ( November 25 , 1925 - August 20 , 2000 ) was a United States Marine who earned the United States ' highest military honor - the Medal of Honor - for his heroic actions on Iwo Jima during World War II . Private First Class Jacobson destroyed a total of sixteen enemy positions and annihilated approximately seventy-five Japanese , thereby contributing essentially to the success of his division 's operations . He was presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on October 5 , 1945 .
Willy F. James Jr. ( March 18 , 1920 - April 8 , 1945 ) was a United States Army private first class who was killed in action while running to the aid of his wounded platoon leader during World War II . In 1997 , he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1996 , the nation 's highest military decoration for valor , for his actions on April 7 , 1945 , in the vicinity of Lippoldsberg , Germany . James and six other Black Americans who served in World War II were awarded the Medal of Honor on January 12 , 1997 . The Medal of Honor was posthumously presented to James by President Bill Clinton on January 13 , 1997 during a Medals of Honor ceremony for the seven recipients at the White House in Washington , D.C . The seven recipients are the first and only Black Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II .
The Medal of Honor is the United States of America 's highest and most prestigious personal military decoration that may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor . The medal is normally awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress . Because the medal is presented in the name of Congress , it is often referred erroneously as the Congressional Medal of Honor . However , the official name of the current award is Medal of Honor . Within the United States Code the medal is referred to as the Medal of Honor , and less frequently as Congressional Medal of Honor . U.S. awards , including the Medal of Honor , do not have post-nominal titles , and while there is no official abbreviation , the most common abbreviations are MOH and MH . There are three versions of the medal , one each for the Army , Navy and Air Force . Personnel of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard receive the Navy version while members of the Space Force receive the Air Force version . The Medal of Honor was introduced for the Navy in 1861 , soon followed by an Army version in 1862 . The Medal of Honor is the oldest continuously issued combat decoration of the United States ' armed forces . The President typically presents the Medal at a formal ceremony intended to represent the gratitude of the U.S. people , with posthumous presentations made to the primary next of kin . According to the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States , there have been 3,525 Medals of Honor awarded to 3,506 individuals since the decoration 's creation , with over 40% awarded for actions during the American Civil War .
John Louis Jack Jerstad ( February 12 , 1918 - August 1 , 1943 ) was a United States Army Air Forces officer who was posthumously awarded the United States military 's highest decoration , the Medal of Honor . He received the medal for his actions as a B-24 pilot during a raid on Ploieşti , Romania , in World War II .
The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF or AAF ) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army , and de facto aerial warfare service branch of the United States , during and immediately after World War II ( 1939/41-1945 ) , successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps , and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force of today , one of the five uniformed military services . The AAF was a component of the United States Army , which on 2 March 1942 was divided functionally by executive order into three autonomous forces : the Army Ground Forces , the Services of Supply ( which in 1943 became the Army Service Forces ) , and the Army Air Forces . Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff . The AAF administered all parts of military aviation formerly distributed among the Air Corps , General Headquarters Air Force , and the ground forces ' corps area commanders , and thus became the first air organization of the U.S. Army to control its own installations and support personnel . The peak size of the AAF during the Second World War was over 2.4 million men and women in service and nearly 80,000 aircraft by 1944 , and 783 domestic bases in December 1943 . By V-E Day , the Army Air Forces had 1.25 million men stationed overseas and operated from more than 1,600 airfields worldwide . The Army Air Forces was created in June 1941 to provide the air arm a greater autonomy in which to expand more efficiently , to provide a structure for the additional command echelons required by a vastly increased force , and to end an increasingly divisive administrative battle within the Army over control of aviation doctrine and organization that had been ongoing since the creation of an aviation section within the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1914 . The AAF succeeded both the Air Corps , which had been the statutory military aviation branch since 1926 , and the GHQ Air Force , which had been activated in 1935 to quiet the demands of airmen for an independent Air Force similar to the Royal Air Force which had already been established in the United Kingdom . Although other nations already had separate air forces independent of their army or navy ( such as the British Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe ) , the AAF remained a part of the Army until a defense reorganization in the post-war period resulted in the passage by the United States Congress of the National Security Act of 1947 with the creation of an independent United States Air Force in September 1947 . In its expansion and conduct of the war , the AAF became more than just an arm of the greater organization . By the end of World War II , the Army Air Forces had become virtually an independent service . By regulation and executive order , it was a subordinate agency of the United States Department of War ( as were the Army Ground Forces and the Army Service Forces ) tasked only with organizing , training , and equipping combat units , and limited in responsibility to the continental United States .
Major is a military rank of commissioned officer status , with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world .
Elden Harvey Johnson ( February 13 , 1921 - June 3 , 1944 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II . Johnson was born in the Bivalve section of Commercial Township , New Jersey . He joined the Army from East Weymouth , Massachusetts in April 1943 , and by June 3 , 1944 was serving as a private in the 15th Infantry Regiment , 3rd Infantry Division . When his unit was ambushed on that day , near Valmontone , Italy , he deliberately drew the hostile German fire onto himself so that his comrades could escape . He succeeded in destroying a German machine gun position before he was killed . For these actions , he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor a year later , on May 16 , 1945 . Johnson , aged 23 at his death , was buried in Union Cemetery , Scituate , Massachusetts .
A private is a soldier of the lowest military rank ( equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in ) . In modern military writing , private is abridged to Pte in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth of Nations countries and to Pvt in the United States .
Italy ( Italian : Italia [ iˈtaːlja ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Italian Republic ( Italian : Repubblica Italiana [ reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna ] ) , is a European country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands . Italy is located in south-central Europe , and it is also considered a part of Western Europe . The country covers a total area of 301,340 km2 ( 116,350 sq mi ) and shares land borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino . Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland ( Campione ) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea ( Lampedusa ) . With around 60 million inhabitants , Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union . The capital and largest city is Rome ; other major cities are Milan , Naples , Turin , Palermo , Genoa , Bologna , Florence and Venice . Due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean , Italy has historically been home to myriad peoples and cultures . In addition to the various ancient peoples dispersed throughout what is now modern-day Italy , the most predominant being the Indo-European Italic peoples who gave the peninsula its name , beginning from the classical era , Phoenicians and Carthaginians founded colonies mostly in insular Italy , Greeks established settlements in the so-called Magna Graecia of Southern Italy , while Etruscans and Celts inhabited central and northern Italy respectively . An Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom in the 8th century BC , which eventually became a republic with a government of the Senate and the People . The Roman Republic initially conquered and assimilated its neighbours on the Italian peninsula , eventually expanding and conquering parts of Europe , North Africa and Asia . By the first century BC , the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean Basin and became a leading cultural , political and religious centre , inaugurating the Pax Romana , a period of more than 200 years during which Italy 's law , technology , economy , art , and literature developed . Italy remained the homeland of the Romans and the metropole of the empire , whose legacy can also be observed in the global distribution of culture , governments , Christianity and the Latin script .
General Leon William Johnson ( 13 September 1904 - 10 November 1997 ) was a United States Air Force general who was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the attack on the Ploesti oil fields during World War II . A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York , Johnson was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1926 . He joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1929 , and qualified as a pilot . He earned a master of science degree in meteorology from California Institute of Technology in 1936 . During World War II , Johnson was one of the first four flying officers of the Eighth Air Force , and served on it staff during its formative period at Savannah , Georgia . In 1943 , he assumed command of the 44th Bombardment Group , which flew the Consolidated B-24 Liberator . Johnson led the attack on the German naval installations at Kiel in May 1943 and the attack on the Ploesti oil fields in August 1943 , for which the 44th Bombardment Group received Distinguished Unit Citations . He commanded the 14th Combat Bombardment Wing from September 1943 until May 1945 . After the war , Johnson commanded the Strategic Air Command 's Fifteenth Air Force . He returned to England in 1948 to lead the 3rd Air Division , and then the Third Air Force , as it was redesignated in 1951 . Despite his lowly rank of major general , he was able to hold his own in dealings with more senior British officers and officials , and performed his duties with diplomacy and sensitivity . He returned to the United States in 1952 as head of the Continental Air Command .
Colonel ( /ˈkɜːrnəl/ kernel ; abbreviated Col. , Col or COL ) is a senior military officer rank below the general officer ranks . However , in some small military forces , such as those of Monaco or the Vatican , colonel is the highest rank . It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations . Historically , in the seventeenth , eighteenth and nineteenth centuries , a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army . Modern usage varies greatly , and in some cases , the term is used as an honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military service . The rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel . The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier , brigade general or brigadier general . Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain . In the Commonwealth air force rank system , the equivalent rank is group captain .
Leroy Johnson ( December 6 , 1919- December 15 , 1944 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II . Camp Leroy Johnson in New Orleans , LA , was renamed after him in 1947 .
Sergeant ( /ˈsɑː ( r ) dʒənt/ SARJ-ənt ; abbreviated to Sgt . and capitalized when used as a named person 's title ) is a rank in many uniformed organizations , principally military and policing forces . The alternative spelling , serjeant , is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British Light Infantry . Its origin is the Latin serviens , 'one who serves ' , through the French term sergent . The term sergeant refers to a non-commissioned officer placed above the rank of a corporal and a police officer immediately below a lieutenant or , in the UK Police forces , below an inspector . In most armies the rank of sergeant corresponds to command of a squad ( or section ) . In Commonwealth armies , it is a more senior rank , corresponding roughly to a platoon second-in-command . In the United States Army , sergeant is a more junior rank corresponding to a four-soldier fireteam leader . More senior non-commissioned ranks are often variations on sergeant , for example staff sergeant , first sergeant , and sergeant major . Many countries use sergeant rank , whether in English or using a cognate with the same origin in another language . The equivalent rank in Arab armies is raqīb ( رقيب ) , meaning 'overseer ' or 'watcher ' .
Oscar Godfrey Johnson Jr. ( March 25 , 1921 - May 13 , 1998 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II .
William James Johnston , Sr. , ( August 15 , 1918 - May 29 , 1990 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II .
Herbert Charpiot Jones ( January 21 , 1918 - December 7 , 1941 ) was an officer in the United States Navy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor .
The United States Navy ( USN ) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone , it is larger than the next 13 navies combined , which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations . It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world 's largest aircraft carrier fleet , with eleven in service , two new carriers under construction , and five other carriers planned . With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve , the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the U.S. military service branches in terms of personnel . It has 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of June 2019 [ update ] , making it the third-largest air force in the world , after the United States Air Force and the United States Army . The U.S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy , which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was effectively disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter . After suffering significant loss of goods and personnel at the hands of the Barbary pirates from Algiers , the U.S. Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 for the construction of six heavy frigates , the first ships of the U.S. Navy . The U.S. Navy played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers . It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan . The U.S. Navy emerged from World War II as the most powerful navy in the world . The 21st century U.S. Navy maintains a sizable global presence , deploying in strength in such areas as the Western Pacific , the Mediterranean , and the Indian Ocean . It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world , engage in forward deployments during peacetime and rapidly respond to regional crises , making it a frequent actor in U.S. foreign and military policy .
Ensign ( /ˈɛnsən/ ; Late Middle English , from Old French enseigne ( 12c . ) mark , symbol , signal ; flag , standard , pennant , from Latin insignia ( plural ) ) is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries , normally in the infantry or navy . As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag , the rank acquired the name . This rank has generally been replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant . Ensigns were generally the lowest ranking commissioned officer , except where the rank of subaltern existed . In contrast , the Arab rank of ensign , لواء , liwa ' , derives from the command of units with an ensign , not the carrier of such a unit 's ensign , and is today the equivalent of a major general . In Thomas Venn 's 1672 Military and Maritime Discipline in Three Books , the duties of ensigns are to include not only carrying the colour but assisting the captain and lieutenant of a company and in their absence , have their authority . Ensign is enseigne in French , and chorąży in Polish , each of which derives from a term for a flag . The Spanish alférez and Portuguese alferes is a junior officer rank below lieutenant associated with carrying the flag , and so is often translated as ensign . Unlike the rank in other languages , its etymology has nothing to do with flags , but instead comes from the Arabic for cavalier or knight . Fähnrich in German comes from an older German military title , Fahnenträger ( flag bearer ) ; however , it is an officer cadet rank , not a junior officer - the same applies to the Dutch vaandrig , which has a parallel etymology . In the German Landsknecht armies ( c. 1480 ) , the equivalent rank of cornet existed for those men who carried the troop standard ( known as a cornet ) .
USS California ( BB-44 ) was the second of two Tennessee-class battleships built for the United States Navy between her keel laying in October 1916 and her commissioning in August 1921 . The Tennessee class was part of the standard series of twelve battleships built in the 1910s and 1920s , and were developments of the preceding New Mexico class . They were armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch ( 360 mm ) guns in four three-gun turrets . California served as the flagship of the Battle Fleet in the Pacific Ocean for duration of her peacetime career . She spent the 1920s and 1930s participating in routine fleet training exercises , including the annual Fleet Problems , and cruises around the Americas and further abroad , such as a goodwill visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1925 . California was moored in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the port , bringing the United States into World War II . The ship was moderately damaged by a pair of torpedoes and a bomb , but a fire disabled the ship 's electrical system , preventing the pumps from being used to keep the ship afloat . California slowly filled with water over the following three days and eventually sank . Her crew suffered heavy casualties in the attack and four men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the attack . She was raised in April 1942 , repaired and heavily rebuilt , and returned to service in January 1944 . The ship thereafter supported the amphibious operations conducted during the Pacific War , including the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign ( though she was damaged in a collision with Tennessee and thus missed the Battle of Peleliu ) and the Philippines campaign , during which she took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait . She was hit by a kamikaze during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945 , after repairs , joined the fleet supporting troops fighting on Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa .
Platoon Sergeant Joseph Rudolph Julian ( April 3 , 1918 - March 9 , 1945 ) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the United States ' highest military honor - the Medal of Honor - for his heroism and sacrifice of life in 1945 in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II .
In many militaries , a platoon sergeant is the senior enlisted member of a platoon , who advises and supports the platoon 's commanding officer in leading the unit .