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

Kenneth D. Bailey †

Marine Corps

Major

Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

September 12, 1942 – September 13, 1942

For repelling enemy offensive maneuvers, holding the main line and upholding friendly morale while sustaining fire from superior enemy forces despite a severe head wound.

Addison E. Baker †

Air Forces

Lieutenant Colonel

over Ploiești, Romania (Operation Tidal Wave)

August 1, 1943

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy on August 1, 1943. On this date he led his command, the 93d Heavy Bombardment Group, on a daring low-level attack against enemy oil refineries and installations at Ploiești, Romania.

Thomas A. Baker †

Army

Private

Saipan, Mariana Islands

June 19, 1944 – July 7, 1944

On Saipan in the Marianas Islands, he advanced ahead of his unit with a bazooka and destroyed a Japanese emplacement which was firing on his company. Several days later, he single-handedly attacked and killed two groups of Japanese soldiers. On July 7, Baker's position came under attack by a large Japanese force. Although seriously wounded early in the attack, he refused to be evacuated and continued to fight in the close-range battle until running out of ammunition. When a comrade was wounded while trying to carry him to safety, Baker insisted that he be left behind. At his request, his comrades left him propped against a tree and gave him a pistol, which had eight bullets remaining. When American forces retook the position, they found the pistol, now empty, and eight dead Japanese soldiers around Baker's body.

Vernon J. Baker

Army

Second Lieutenant

near Viareggio, Italy

April 5, 1945 – April 6, 1945

Demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in destroying enemy installations, personnel and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. 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.

Van T. Barfoot

Army

Technical Sergeant

near Carano, Italy

May 23, 1944

Carlton W. Barrett

Army

Private

near St. Laurent-sur-Mer, France

June 6, 1944

Joined the United States Army in Albany, New York, he was a member of, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Barrett was one of four Medal of Honor recipients on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

John Basilone

Marine Corps

Sergeant

Lunga area, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

October 24, 1942 – October 25, 1942

On the night of October 24–25, 1942 his unit engaged the Japanese in the Lunga area when their position came under attack by a regiment of approximately 3,000 soldiers. The Japanese forces began a frontal attack using machine guns, grenades and mortars against the American heavy machine guns. Basilone commanded two sections of machine guns that fought for the next 48 hours until only Basilone and two other men were still able to continue fighting. Basilone moved an extra gun into position and maintained continual fire against the incoming Japanese forces. He repaired another machine-gun and personally manned it, holding the defensive line until replacements arrived. With the continuous fighting, ammunition became critically low and supply lines were cut off. Basilone fought through hostile lines and returned with urgently needed ammunition for his gunners. He was killed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. He was the first Enlisted Marine to receive The Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and The Navy Cross.

Harold W. Bauer †

Marine Corps

Lieutenant Colonel

South Pacific area

May 10, 1942 – November 14, 1942

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage as Squadron Commander of Marine Fighting Squadron TWO TWELVE in the South Pacific Area during the period May 10 to November 14, 1942.

Lewis K. Bausell †

Marine Corps

Corporal

Peleliu Island, Palau Group

September 15, 1944

During combat at Peleliu, he covered an exploding Japanese hand grenade in order to protect his comrades, and died of his wounds three days later. Bausell was the only enlisted Marine from the Nation's capital, Washington, D.C. to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II.

—

Raymond O. Beaudoin †

Army

First Lieutenant

Hamelin, Germany

April 6, 1945

By his intrepidity, great fighting skill, and supreme devotion to his responsibility for the well-being of his platoon, 1st Lt. Beaudoin single-handedly accomplished a mission that enabled a messenger to secure help which saved the stricken unit and made possible the decisive defeat of the German forces.

—

Bernard P. Bell

Army

Technical Sergeant

Mittelwihr, France

December 18, 1944

By his intrepidity and bold, aggressive leadership, T/Sgt. Bell enabled his 8-man squad to drive back approximately 150 of the enemy, killing at least 87 and capturing 42. Personally, he killed more than 20 and captured 33 prisoners.

—

Stanley Bender

Army

Staff Sergeant

near La Lande, France

August 17, 1944

He had sparked and led the assault company in an attack which overwhelmed the enemy, destroying a roadblock, taking a town, seizing intact 3 bridges over the Maravenne River, and capturing commanding terrain which dominated the area.

—

George Benjamin, Jr. †

Army

Private First Class

Leyte, Philippines

December 21, 1944

He was severely wounded while leading an assault against a strongly defended Japanese position on the island of Leyte. After being evacuated to an aid station, he conveyed valuable information regarding the disposition of the Japanese emplacement to his superiors.

—

Edward A. Bennett

Army

Corporal

Heckhuscheid, Germany

February 1, 1945

The fearless initiative, stalwart combat ability, and outstanding gallantry of Cpl. Bennett eliminated the enemy fire which was decimating his company's ranks and made it possible for the Americans to sweep all resistance from the town.

Mervyn S. Bennion †

Navy

Captain

West Virginia, Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941

While mortally wounded, he remained in command of his ship. For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Charles J. Berry †

Marine Corps

Corporal

Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands

March 3, 1945

He landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day, February 19, 1945, and was killed in action on March 3, 1945, during the action which earned him the Medal of Honor.

—

Vito R. Bertoldo

Army

Master Sergeant

Hatten, France

January 9, 1945 – January 10, 1945

In Hatten, France, he manned a machine gun in defense of a command post being attacked by a numerically superior German force. When evacuation became necessary, he voluntarily stayed behind to cover the withdrawal. The next morning he moved to another command post, and again defended it against a continued assault by strong German forces and voluntarily covered the withdrawal of friendly forces when the post was abandoned. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor one year later, on January 10, 1946.

—

Arthur O. Beyer

Army

Corporal

near Arloncourt, Belgium

January 15, 1945

Near Arloncourt, Belgium, he used hand grenades and his carbine to single-handedly destroy two German machine gun positions before working his way through a honey-combed series of enemy foxholes—killing and capturing German soldiers as he went. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman seven months later, on August 30, 1945.

Willibald C. Bianchi †

Army

First Lieutenant

near Bagac, Bataan Province, Philippines

February 3, 1942

After the action near Bagac in the Bataan Province, Bianchi was among the troops captured by the Japanese at the fall of Bataan, on April 9, 1942. He was part of the Bataan "Death March," and was imprisoned in several Japanese prisoner of war camps, enduring horrible conditions. He was known for his compassion and efforts to better the lot of his fellow prisoners by bartering with their captors for extra food and medicine. On January 9, 1945, while imprisoned in an unmarked Japanese prison ship, Bianchi was killed instantly when an American plane, unaware that the ship contained American prisoners, dropped a 1,000-pound bomb in the cargo hold.

—

Melvin E. Biddle

Army

Private First Class

near Soy, Belgium

December 23, 1944 – December 24, 1944

When presenting the medal to Biddle, Truman whispered "People don't believe me when I tell them that I'd rather have one of these than be President." Biddle was decorated with 17 other soldiers that served in the Eastern Theater of Operations.

Based on the accompanying table together with the context paragraphs below.

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Kenneth Dillon Bailey ( October 21 , 1910 - September 26 , 1942 ) was a United States Marine Corps officer who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroic conduct during action during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands . He also earned the Silver Star Medal during the initial landing on Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and the Purple Heart .
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 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 .
In the United States Army , Marine Corps , and Air Force , major is a field grade military officer rank above the rank of captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel . It is equivalent to the naval rank of lieutenant commander in the other uniformed services . Although lieutenant commanders are considered junior officers by their respective services ( Navy and Coast Guard ) , the rank of major is that of a senior officer in the United States Army , the United States Marine Corps , and the United States Air Force . The pay grade for the rank of major is O-4 . The insignia for the rank consists of a golden oak leaf , with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version . Promotion to major is governed by the Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 .
Lieutenant Colonel Addison Earl Baker ( January 1 , 1907 - August 1 , 1943 ) was commander of the 93rd Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) in the U.S. Army Air Forces who led the group on the low-altitude Allied bombing mission of oil refineries at Ploieşti , Romania , Operation Tidal Wave . For his actions during World War II he received the United States of America 's highest military decoration , the Medal of Honor . Baker joined the Army Air Corps from Akron , Ohio in 1929 , and earned his wings and a commission in 1931 .
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 .
In the United States Army , U.S. Marine Corps , and U.S. Air Force , lieutenant colonel is a field-grade military officer rank , just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel . It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services . The pay grade for the rank of lieutenant colonel is O-5 . In the United States armed forces , the insignia for the rank are a silver oak leaf , with slight stylized differences between the version of the Army and the Air Force and that of the Navy and the Marine Corps . Promotion to lieutenant colonel is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act ( DOPMA ) of 1980 , for officers in the Active Component , and its companion Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act ( ROPMA ) , for officers in the Reserve Component ( e.g. , Reserve and National Guard ) . DOPMA guidelines suggest that 70 percent of majors be promoted to lieutenant colonel after serving at least three years at their present rank and after 15-17 years of cumulative commissioned service .
Ploiești ( UK : /plɔɪˈɛʃti/ , US : /plɔːˈjɛʃt ( i ) / , Romanian : [ ploˈjeʃtʲ ] ) , formerly spelled Ploești , is a city and county seat in Prahova County , Romania . Part of the historical region of Muntenia , it is located 56 km ( 35 mi ) north of Bucharest . The area of the city is around 60 km2 . It borders the Blejoi village in the north , Bărcănești and Brazi villages in the south , Târgșoru Vechi in the west and Bucov village in the east . Ploiești has direct access to the Prahova Valley , one of the most important alpine tourism areas in Romania . Ploiești is an important transport hub , linking Bucharest with Transylvania and Moldavia . According to the 2011 Romanian census , there were 201,226 people living within the city of Ploiești , making it the 9th most populous in the country .
Romania ( /roʊˈmeɪniə/ ( listen ) ro-MAY-nee-ə ; Romanian : România [ romɨˈni.a ] ( listen ) ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central , Eastern , and Southeastern Europe . It has borders with the Black Sea to the southeast , Bulgaria to the south , Ukraine to the north , Hungary to the west , Serbia to the southwest , and Moldova to the east . It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate . With a total area of 238,397 square kilometers ( 92,046 square miles ) , Romania is the 8th largest country and also the 6th most populous member state of the European Union , having almost 20 million inhabitants . Its capital and largest city is Bucharest , and other major urban areas include Cluj-Napoca , Timișoara , Iași , Constanța , Craiova , Brașov , and Galați . The River Danube , Europe 's second-longest river , rises in Germany 's Black Forest and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km ( 1,775 mi ) , coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romania 's Danube Delta . The Carpathian Mountains , which cross Romania from the north to the southwest , include Moldoveanu Peak , at an altitude of 2,544 m ( 8,346 ft ) . Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia . The new state , officially named Romania since 1866 , gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877 . Following World War I after declaring its neutrality in 1914 , when Romania fought on the side of the Allied powers starting with 1916 , Bukovina , Bessarabia , Transylvania as well as parts of Banat , Crișana , and Maramureș became part of the sovereign Kingdom of Romania . In June-August 1940 , as a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and Second Vienna Award , Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union , and Northern Transylvania to Hungary . In November 1940 , Romania signed the Tripartite Pact and , consequently , in June 1941 entered World War II on the Axis side , fighting against the Soviet Union until August 1944 , when it joined the Allies and recovered Northern Transylvania .
Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) based in Libya and Southern Italy on nine oil refineries around Ploiești , Romania on 1 August 1943 , during World War II . It was a strategic bombing mission and part of the oil campaign to deny petroleum-based fuel to the Axis . The mission resulted in no curtailment of overall product output . This mission was one of the costliest for the USAAF in the European Theater , with 53 aircraft and 660 air crewmen lost . It was proportionally the most costly major Allied air raid of the war and its date was later referred to as Black Sunday . Five Medals of Honor and 56 Distinguished Service Crosses along with numerous others awards were awarded to Operation Tidal Wave crew members .
Thomas Alexander Baker ( June 25 , 1916 - July 7 , 1944 ) was a United States Army soldier who posthumously received the U.S. military 's highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in World War II during the Battle of Saipan . Baker was born in 1916 in Troy , New York and joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school . After Army basic training he was sent to fight in World War II . While serving as a member of the 27th Infantry Division he was injured and refused to be evacuated . He was later found dead with an empty pistol and the bodies of eight Japanese soldiers around him .
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 .
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 .
Vernon Joseph Baker ( December 17 , 1919 - July 13 , 2010 ) was a United States Army first lieutenant who was an infantry company platoon leader during World War II and a paratrooper during the Korean War . In 1997 , he was awarded the Medal of Honor , the nation 's highest military decoration for valor , for his actions on April 5 - 6 , 1945 , near Viareggio , Italy . Baker 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 presented to Baker 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 . Baker was the only living recipient of the medal . Baker died in 2010 at the age of 90 .
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces , comparable to NATO OF-1a rank .
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 .
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 .
Van Thomas Barfoot ( born Van Thurman Barfoot ; June 15 , 1919 - March 2 , 2012 ) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II .
Technical sergeant is the name of one current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces . [ citation needed ] Outside the United States , it is used only by the Philippine Army , Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Marine Corps .
Carlton William Barrett ( November 24 , 1919 - May 3 , 1986 ) , a native of Fulton , New York was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for heroism near Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer , France on June 6 , 1944 during the Normandy landings ( World War II ) .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
John Basilone ( November 4 , 1916 - February 19 , 1945 ) was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who was killed in action during World War II . He received the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal Campaign , and the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima . He was the only enlisted Marine to receive both of these decorations in World War II . He enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 3 , 1940 , after serving three years in the United States Army with duty in the Philippines . He was deployed to Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , and in August 1942 , he took part in the invasion of Guadalcanal . In October , he and two other Marines used machine guns to hold off an attack by a far numerically superior Japanese force . In February 1945 , he was killed in action on the first day of the invasion of Iwo Jima , after he single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse and led a Marine tank under fire safely through a minefield . He has received many honors including being the namesake for streets , military locations , and two United States Navy destroyers .
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 ' .
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving , on or after April 5 , 1917 , with the U.S. military . With its forerunner , the Badge of Military Merit , which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth , the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members - the only earlier award being the obsolete Fidelity Medallion . The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor , New York .
The Navy Cross is the United States military 's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat . The Navy Cross is awarded primarily to a member of the United States Navy , Marine Corps , and the Coast Guard ( when operating under the Department of the Navy ) for extraordinary heroism . The medal is equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Cross , the Air Force Cross , and the Coast Guard Cross . The Navy Cross is bestowed by the Secretary of the Navy and may also be awarded to members of the other armed services , and to foreign military personnel while serving with the U.S. naval services . The Navy Cross was established by Act of Congress ( Public Law 65-253 ) and approved on February 4 , 1919 .
Lieutenant Colonel Harold William Joe Bauer ( November 20 , 1908 - November 14 , 1942 ) was a United States Marine Corps air group commander , fighter pilot and flying ace credited with destroying 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II . He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a fighter squadron commander during the crucial struggle for the control of the Solomon Islands at the Battle of Guadalcanal .
Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell ( April 17 , 1924 - September 18 , 1944 ) was a United States Marine and posthumous recipient of the United States ' highest military honor - the Medal of Honor - for his sacrifice of life , above and beyond the call of duty , during World War II . During combat at Peleliu , he covered an exploding Japanese hand grenade in order to protect his comrades , and died of his wounds three days later . Bausell was the only enlisted Marine from the Nation 's capital , Washington , D.C. to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II .
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations . Within NATO , each member nation 's corresponding military rank of corporal is combined under the NATO-standard rank scale code OR-3 or OR-4 . However , there are often differences in how each nation ( or service in each nation ) employs corporals . Some militaries do n't have corporals , but may instead have a Junior Sergeant . In some militaries , the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers . However , in the United States Army , the rank of corporal is considered a lateral promotion from E-4 Specialist and usually only occurs when the soldier has been selected by a promotion board to become an E-5 Sergeant and is serving in an E-5 billet such as a fireteam leader in a rifle squad . The lateral promotion is used to make the soldier a non-commissioned officer without changing the soldier 's pay . As the Table of Organization & Equipment ( TO & E ) rank of a fire team leader is sergeant and that of squad leader is staff sergeant . In the United States Marine Corps , corporal is the Table of Organization ( TO ) rank for a rifle fire team leader , machine gun team leader , light mortar squad leader , and assault weapon squad leader , as well as gunner on most larger crew served weapons ( i.e . medium mortars , heavy machine guns , and anti-tank missiles ) , armored vehicles ( e.g . tanks , light armored vehicles , and armored assault vehicles ) , and the two assistant gunners on a howitzer ( the gunner is a sergeant ) . In most countries that derive their military structure from the British military system , corporal is a more senior rank than that of private .
Raymond Ovila Beaudoin ( July 15 , 1918 - April 6 , 1945 ) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military 's highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in World War II .
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces and , in some forces , an appointment . The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations ( see comparative military ranks ) , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior ( first lieutenant ) and junior ( second lieutenant ) rank . The NATO equivalent rank for land force officers is OF-1 rank . In navies , while certain rank insignia may carry the name : lieutenant , the term may also be used to relate to a particular post or duty , rather than a rank .
Bernard Pious Bell ( December 29 , 1911 - January 8 , 1971 ) 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 .
Stanley Bender ( October 31 , 1909 - June 22 , 1994 ) 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 .
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 .
George Benjamin Jr. ( April 24 , 1919 - December 22 , 1944 ) was a United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the U.S. military 's highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions during the Philippines campaign of World War II .
Private First Class ( PFC ) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in some countries ' armed forces .
Edward Andrew Bennett , Jr. ( February 11 , 1920 - May 2 , 1983 ) 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 .
Mervyn Sharp Bennion ( May 5 , 1887 - December 7 , 1941 ) was a captain in the United States Navy who died during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . While mortally wounded , he remained in command of his ship . For conspicuous devotion to duty , extraordinary courage , and complete disregard of his own life , he posthumously received the Medal of Honor .
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 .
In the United States Navy , United States Coast Guard , United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps ( USPHS ) , and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps ( NOAA Corps ) , captain is the senior-most commissioned officer rank below that of flag officer ( i.e. , admirals ) . The equivalent rank is colonel in the United States Army , Air Force , and Marine Corps . Reflecting its nautical heritage , the term captain is sometimes used as a military title by more junior officers who command a commissioned vessel of the Navy , Coast Guard , or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship of patrol boat size or greater . Officers below O-6 who command aviation squadrons ( typically O-5 commanders ) usually use the less formal title skipper .
USS West Virginia ( BB-48 ) was the fourth dreadnought battleship of the Colorado class , though because Washington was cancelled , she was the third and final member of the class to be completed . The Colorado class proved to be the culmination of the standard-type battleship series built for the United States Navy in the 1910s and 1920s ; the ships were essentially repeats of the earlier Tennessee design , but with a significantly more powerful main battery of eight 16-inch ( 406 mm ) guns in twin-gun turrets . West Virginia was built between her keel laying in 1920 and her commissioning into the Navy in 1923 . The ship spent the 1920s and 1930s conducting routine training exercises , including the typically-annual Fleet Problems , which provided invaluable experience for the coming war in the Pacific . West Virginia was moored in Battleship Row on the morning of 7 December 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor , bringing the United States into World War II . Badly damaged by torpedoes , the ship sank in the shallow water but was later refloated and extensively rebuilt over the course of 1943 and into mid-1944 . She returned to service in time for the Philippines Campaign , where she led the American line of battle at the Battle of Surigao Strait on the night of 24-25 October . There , she was one of the few American battleships to use her radar to acquire a target in the darkness , allowing her to engage a Japanese squadron in what was the final action between battleships in naval history . After Surigao Strait , the ship remained in the Philippines to support troops fighting during the Battle of Leyte in 1944 and then supported the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in early 1945 . The ship also took part in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa later that year , providing extensive fire support to the ground forces invading those islands . During the latter operation , she was hit by a kamikaze that did little damage . Following the surrender of Japan , West Virginia took part in the initial occupation and thereafter participated in Operation Magic Carpet , carrying soldiers and sailors from Hawaii to the mainland United States before being deactivated in 1946 .
Charles Joseph Berry ( July 10 , 1923 - March 3 , 1945 ) was a Corporal in the Marine Corps who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II . After graduating high school Berry enlisted in the Marine Corps and upon graduating recruit training in South Carolina was stationed in Quantico Virginia and then North Carolina before being sent with 1st Parachute Battalion to fight in the Solomon Islands . After leaving North Carolina he went on to fight at Bougainville and then went to Guadalcanal for a short time before being sent to San Diego , California . While stationed at Camp Elliott in San Diego he was attached to the 5th Marine Division before being sent to the Hawaiian Islands and receiving the rank of corporal . He landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day , February 19 , 1945 , and was killed in action on March 3 , 1945 , during the action which earned him the Medal of Honor . Initially buried in the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima , he was re-interred in Elmwood Cemetery , Lorain , Ohio , in 1948 .
Vito R. Bertoldo ( December 1 , 1916 - July 23 , 1966 ) was a United States Army soldier . A veteran of World War II , he was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions near Hatten , France in January 1945 . Bertoldo was born and raised in Decatur , Illinois , and worked as a coal miner and truck driver . Though he was exempt from the World War II draft because of poor eyesight , he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 , and was approved for limited duty in the United States as a military policeman . He then obtained approval to undergo training as an infantryman , and deployed to France with the 42nd Infantry Division . During Germany 's Operation Nordwind offensive of December 1944-January 1945 , Bertoldo was one of the soldiers assigned to guard the command post ( CP ) for 1st Battalion , 242nd Infantry Regiment . When the battalion staff moved to an alternate location while expecting a German attack , Bertoldo volunteered to cover them and defend the CP . On January 9 and 10 , 1945 , he single-handedly fought off German assaults on the command post , and then continued the fight by taking part in the defense of the battalion 's alternate CP . After the war , he received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during this action . Following his military service , Bertoldo moved to California and worked as a contact representative for the U.S. Veterans Administration before becoming the owner and operator of a successful landscaping business . He was diagnosed with cancer in 1966 and died at the VA hospital in Martinez , California . Bertoldo was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno , California
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries .
Arthur Otto Beyer ( May 20 , 1909- February 16 , 1965 ) 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 .
Belgium , [ A ] officially the Kingdom of Belgium , is a country in Western Europe . It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north , Germany to the east , Luxembourg to the southeast , France to the southwest , and the North Sea to the northwest . It covers an area of 30,689 km2 ( 11,849 sq mi ) and has a population of more than 11.5 million , making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe , with a density of 376 per square kilometre ( 970/sq mi ) . The capital and largest city is Brussels ; other major cities are Antwerp , Ghent , Charleroi and Liège . The sovereign state is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds . It is divided into three highly autonomous regions : the Flemish Region in the north , Wallonia in the south , and the Brussels-Capital Region . Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region , as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita . Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities : the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community , which constitutes about 60 percent of the population , and the French-speaking Community , which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians . A small German-speaking Community , numbering around one percent , exists in the East Cantons . The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual ( French and Dutch ) , although French is the dominant language . Belgium 's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance , made up of six different governments .
Willibald Charles Bianchi ( March 12 , 1915 - January 9 , 1945 ) was an officer in the Philippine Scouts who received the Medal of Honor for actions in Bataan , Philippines during that country 's capitulation to Japanese forces during World War II . After the action near Bagac in the Bataan Province , Bianchi was among the troops captured by the Japanese at the fall of Bataan , on April 9 , 1942 . He was part of the Bataan Death March , and was imprisoned in several Japanese prisoner of war camps , enduring horrible conditions . He was known for his compassion and efforts to better the lot of his fellow prisoners by bartering with their captors for extra food and medicine . On January 9 , 1945 , while imprisoned in an unmarked Japanese prison ship , Bianchi was killed instantly when an American plane , unaware that the ship contained American prisoners , dropped a 1,000-pound bomb in the cargo hold . Bianchi is one of three members of the Philippine Scouts who were awarded the Medal of Honor .
Melvin Earl Bud Biddle ( November 28 , 1923 - December 16 , 2010 ) 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 .