Victor Maghakian Victor Maghakian , also known as Captain Victor " Transport " Maghakian ( ) ( December 30 , 1915 – August 17 , 1977 ) , was an Armenian American member of the United States Marine Corps during World War II . Having been awarded over two dozen medals , he is considered one of the most decorated American soldiers of the war . Life . Victor Maghakian was born in December 30 , 1915 in Chicago , Illinois to an Armenian family and was the oldest of four brothers and three sisters . Maghakian ' s great - grandfather was a caravan driver in the Middle - East and was respected for his military prowess . It is noted that his great - grandfather killed 112 enemy Turkish soldiers in his lifetime . Maghakian ' s father worked in the steel mill . Victor took up much of the responsibility of raising his younger siblings . It was noted by his sister in 2008 that " he was a quiet and dedicated man and was always very calm , except for war . He was such a giving man . " In 1930 the Maghakian family moved to San Diego , California where he originally decided to join the United States Navy . However on the way to see the recruiter , Maghakian stopped by to watch " Pride of the Marines " ( 1936 ) starring Charles Bickford . After gaining inspiration from the movie , Maghakian decided not to join the Navy and instead enlist in the Marines . Having lived in San Diego for nine years , the Maghakian family moved to Fresno , California where they lived next to the family of famed writer William Saroyan on the corner of M Street and Monterrey Avenue in Old Armenia Town . In 1936 , after Maghakian was enlisted in the Marine Corps , he was sent to Asia . He was stationed in the Philippines and China for four years . During the Sino - Japanese War ( 1937 - 1945 ) he was a member of the expedition force in Shanghai . After being sent to many countries , Maghakian ' s understanding of foreign bases and societies earned him the nickname " Transport " . Other sources say however that he was nicknamed as such because he handled transportation vehicles well . In 1939 Maghakian returned to Fresno where he became a Fresno County deputy sheriff and was assigned to safeguard power installations and dams of the California Edison Company near the Sierra Nevada . Upon hearing news of the Pearl Harbor attack and America ' s subsequent participation in the war effort , Maghakian reenlisted in the Marine Corps on January 3 , 1942 . His brothers Harry and Michael also enlisted . During his service with the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions and the Raiders , Maghakian fought in seven major battles and was wounded three times . After his participation in World War II , Maghakian became 60 percent disabled . He was a patient of the U . S . Naval hospital in Quantico , Virginia in October 1945 . He then went for more treatment at the Naval hospital in Philadelphia . In 1946 he was subsequently discharged from military duty as a Captain . He returned to Fresno and later moved to Las Vegas where he became a hotel executive and a security consultant from 1954 to 1974 . He was also a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board . In 1974 Maghakian returned to Fresno and died in August 17 , 1977 at the age of 61 . He is buried in the Armenian Ararat Cemetery in Fresno . World War II . During the war in 1942 , Victor Maghakian immediately applied to join the Second Marine Raider Battalion under the command of Colonel Evans Carlson . Maghakian was already acquainted with Carlson during his previous service as a Marine . The Battalion was known for its tough stance on accepting only the best Marines wherein out of 15 , 000 applications , 900 were accepted which included Maghakian . The Battalion conducted harsh training exercises which included mountain climbing , beach landings , martial arts and 30 – 50 mile daily hikes . Makin Island raid . The first mission of the Battalion was to deceive the Japanese enemy soldiers in believing that a large number of American troops were going to invade Makin Island of the Gilbert Islands . This event would soon be known as the Makin Island raid . Out of 900 members of the Battalion , Maghakian was selected as one of the 222 . The raid was launched on August 17 , 1942 as Maghakian led the charge onto the beachhead with a landing force but was the first casualty in this operation suffering from a forearm wound when wave his hand for instructions . As the battle continued , Maghakian wrapped up his forearm wounds and was struggling to remain conscious . Nevertheless , he managed to repulse an enemy attack with a grenade and bayoneted Japanese soldiers . After receiving first aid and defying orders , he returned to the front fifteen minutes later and remained there while leading his men until directed by the Medical Officer to return to the rear . Due to his efforts during the raid , he was awarded with the Navy Cross by the United States Navy , the second highest military decoration for valor and extraordinary heroism in combat . Guadalcanal Campaign . After the raid was over , Maghakian along with other marines received treatment at Pearl Harbor . His name was put on a list of soldiers that were to be returned home . When Maghakian overheard about the plans for the campaign of Guadalcanal , Maghakian immediately contacted Evans Carlson and expressed his desire to join the campaign . Within an hour , Maghakian was taken off the return list . Although his arm was still in a cast as a result of his forearm injury , he was shipped to Guadalcanal two weeks later . During the campaign , Maghakian and other Raiders were ambushed under hostile sniper and machine gun fire by Japanese troops . One of the machine gunners managed to mortally wound his companion Jack Miller . In order to seek vengeance , Maghakian stood up and made himself look visible so that the enemy soldiers would come out of their hiding spots . As soon as the enemy soldiers appeared , they were immediately killed by the Raiders . Due to an ambush , Maghakian was eventually wounded in the wrist and the watch he was wearing became imbedded in his skin and bone . After the campaign , Maghakian returned to the United States mainland and spent two months in a Navy Hospital in Oakland , California . During this time , Maghakian married his wife Vera Karaoglanian ( June 29 , 1916 - March 20 , 1984 ) . Battle of Kwajalein . On January 1944 Maghakian volunteered to participate in another assault mission . The assault would be on Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands in what would be known as the Battle of Kwajalein . On January 31 the Marine Corps landed on the island and within an hour managed to kill 18 Japanese soldiers and take two prisoners . It was Maghakian who killed the last five enemy soldiers who were encamped in a trench in the northernmost point of the islet . In regards to the campaign , Maghakian was quoted as saying , " It was an easy job , like shooting fish in a barrel . I simply fired 30 rounds with my carbine and threw a grenade , and that was all . Not very interesting . " Battle of Eniwetok . After the success of the Battle of Kwajalein , Maghakian and the Marine scouts landed on the Eniwetok Atoll , an island 350 miles north of Kwajalein in February 1944 . As the scouts were hopping from island to island on the Atoll and managed to take control of six islands . Orders soon arrived to secure more islands in the south . As the scouts were patrolling the islets at 0800 hours , the company smelled smoke that was distinguishable from Navy shelling . When following the footprints that were spotted on the beach shore , it led the platoon to a pile of palm frond s under a coconut tree . The platoon was ambushed by Japanese machine gun fire . Maghakian managed to gun down the ambushers with his carbine . As the battle ensued , Maghakian killed the last four Japanese soldiers on Mellu island . During the battle , Maghakian saved the life of Lee Marvin , a soldier who would be later known as a famous American actor . During the night , numerous Japanese soldiers attempted to attack the Marine encampment . However , these efforts ended in failure with seventeen Japanese soldiers dead . Maghakian managed to kill twelve Japanese soldiers by the end of the campaign . Battle of Tinian . When orders were received to seize the island of Tinian of the Mariana Islands , the task was given to the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions . The seizure which would become known as the Battle of Tinian from 24 July 1944 to 1 August 1944 and would take ten days for the island to be secured . It was Maghakian who raised the American flag on Tinian Island after the Allied victory . Battle of Saipan . Maghakian was either in the third or fourth wave of Marines to land on the beaches of Saipan . Landing while under heavy enemy artillery and motar fire , the Marines dug in and fought throughout the day and night . The Marines managed to capture a Japanese aircraft field at the southern tip of the island . It took a total of twenty - six days to secure the island . He was sent to the United States for treatment . Legacy . In 1981 the outpatient clinic of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fresno , California was named after him . The opening ceremony of the clinic was attended by Lee Marvin who during a speech stated , " most of us stayed alive due to his excellent training . He was truly a sergeant who cared for his men . " The 1943 film Gung Ho was based on the Makin Island raid led by Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson ' s 2nd Marine Raider Battalion which Victor Maghakian participated in . Maghakian ' s role was played by famed actor Sam Levene . Maghakian was also the technical advisor to the movie . On September 17 , 1996 during the 2nd Session of the 104th Congress , House of Representative George Radanovich paid tribute to Victor Maghakian ' s dedication and service to the United States Military during World War II .