Robert M . McTureous , Jr . Robert Miller McTureous , Jr . ( March 26 , 1924 – June 11 , 1945 ) had been a United States Marine for only nine months when on June 7 , 1945 , on Okinawa , although critically wounded , he instantly risked his own life to divert fire from a group of his wounded comrades . He died at sea four days later of massive wounds and loss of blood . For his brave actions , McTureous was awarded his nation ' s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor . Early years . Robert Miller McTureous , Jr . , was born in Altoona , Florida on March 26 , 1924 . He attended the primary schools of Altoona and graduated from high school at Umatilla , Florida , in 1941 . He attended Brewton - Parker Institute at Mount Vernon , Georgia , for one year majoring in mathematics and was on the football and baseball teams . Also participating in softball , tennis and boxing , he also played the trombone , sang with the Glee Club and with the Double Quartet while at Brewton - Parker . His hobby was building model airplane s and , in 1942 , he served as a Sunday School Superintendent . Returning to Altoona , he went to work as a night watchman in an orange - packing house at Umatilla for three months . Classified as 4F by his local Draft Board , he looked for a better job so he could raise enough money to have surgery to correct his disability . Two operations were necessary and the young man underwent them always with the view of getting into the service when he was able . For the last eight months that he was a civilian , he worked as a rodman on a surveying team , engaged in road construction for the Florida State Highway Department . Examined again in August 1944 , he was found fit and his induction into the United States Marine Corps followed on August 31 , 1944 . Marine Corps service . Private McTureous was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina , for his recruit training where he qualified as a sharpshooter with both the M1 Garand and the Browning Automatic Rifle by virtue of his 291 and 112 scores , respectively . In his General Classification Test , Pvt McTureous recorded a neat 132 while his Mechanical Aptitude Test was accomplished with a score of 131 . After a ten - day furlough , his only one , the new Marine reported to the 4th Training Battalion at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina , in November . One month later , he was assigned to the 46th Replacement Draft there , and in March 1945 that unit moved to Camp Pendleton , California . Pvt McTureous left the United States on March 11 , 1945 . En route to their destination , the Marines got a look at some of the places that had been making headlines since December 7 , 1941 . The first stop was Pearl Harbor and the next Eniwetok . They arrived and disembarked at Guam on March 31 , 1945 and went into rigid combat training . The island of Okinawa was invaded by U . S . Marines on April 1 , 1945 . When the need for replacements became apparent , Pvt McTureous ' draft was sent . They arrived at Okinawa on May 15 , 1945 and plunged into the fighting as a unit . On May 31 , McTureous became attached to a permanent organization — rifle Company H , 3rd Battalion , 29th Marines ( H / 3 / 29 ) of the 6th Marine Division . Seven days after joining H / 3 / 29 , Pvt McTureous took part in the capture of an important hill on Oroku Peninsula . The company suffered several casualties during the assault and enemy fire remained so heavy that the wounded Marines could not be evacuated . His platoon was temporarily pinned down . Realizing that the wounded must be removed to the rear and the heights must be taken , Pvt McTureous , on his own initiative , filled his pockets with grenades , jammed more of the explosives inside his jacket , and charged up the hill and into the enemy position where he knew the accurate rifle and machine - gun fire was coming from . Running among the caves , he tossed grenades into the Japanese positions as Marine stretcher - bearers came forward to remove the wounded during the temporary lull caused by his furious one - man assault . His supply of hand grenades exhausted , he returned to his own lines , took on another load and returned to the caves , smashing his deadly charges into the enemy positions . Passing one cave , he was badly wounded in the stomach but instead of calling for help and risking other men being hit in attempts to rescue him , he stoically crawled 200 yards to a sheltered place within the Marine lines before asking for aid . His actions completely silenced the Japanese , killing six of them and so badly disorganizing the remainder of the garrison , that his own company was enabled to occupy the hill and complete its mission . The earlier wounded were also evacuated to safety due to his self - sacrifice . Pvt McTureous was evacuated to a hospital ship , the , and given large quantities of blood in an attempt to save his life , but all efforts failed and on the morning of June 1 , 1945 he died at sea . His remains were buried in the 2nd Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan . Later , in 1949 , his remains were reinterred in Glendale Cemetery , Umatilla , Florida . The Medal of Honor , the United States ' highest military award , was presented to Pvt McTureous ' parents at a ceremony in Altoona on August 7 , 1946 . The presentation was made by LtCol Alexander A . Vandegrift , Jr . , USMC , Commanding Officer , Marine Barracks , Naval Air Station , Jacksonville , Florida , the son of the Marine Corps ' Commandant Alexander Vandegrift . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumous ly to PRIVATE ROBERT M . MCTUREOUS , JR . UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following CITATION : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company H , Third Battalion , Twenty - ninth Marines , Sixth Marine Division , in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa in the Ryūkyū Chain , June 7 , 1945 . Alert and ready for any hostile counteraction following his company ' s seizure of an important hill - objective Private McTureous was quick to observe the plight of company stretcher - bearers who were suddenly assailed by slashing machine - gun fire as they attempted to evacuate wounded at the rear of the nearby won position . Determined to prevent further casualties , he quickly filled his shirt with hand grenades and charged the enemy - occupied caves from which the concentrated barrage was emanating . Coolly disregarding all personal danger as he waged his furious one - man assault , he smashed grenades into the cave entrances , thereby diverting the heaviest fire from the stretcher - bearers to his own person and , resolutely returning to his own lines under a blanketing hail of rifle and Machine - gun fire to replenish his supply of grenades , dauntlessly continued his systematic reduction of Japanese strength until he himself sustained serious wounds after silencing a large number of the hostile guns . Aware of his own critical condition and unwilling to further endanger the lives of his comrades , he stoically crawled a distance of two hundred yards to a sheltered position within friendly lines before calling for aid . By his fearless initiative and bold tactics , Private McTureous had succeeded in neutralizing the enemy fire , killing six of the Japanese and effectively disorganizing the remainder of the savagely defending garrison . His outstanding valor and heroic spirit of self - sacrifice during a critical stage of operations reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life for his country . / S / HARRY S . TRUMAN Posthumous honors . In recognition of Pvt McTureous ' heroic actions on Okinawa , a Marine Corps ' base on Okinawa , Camp McTureous , is named in his honor . His boyhood home has been turned into a museum named for him in Altoona , Florida .