Lewis K . Bausell 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 . Biography . Early years . Lewis Kenneth Bausell was born in Pulaski , Virginia on April 17 , 1924 . Moving to Washington , he attended the local public schools and then went to work as a bookbinder for Ransdell , Incorporated , a Washington printer . He was employed there at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7 , 1941 . Marine Corps , World War II service . The week following the Pearl Harbor attack , on December 15 , Bausell enlisted in the U . S . Marine Corps for a four - year period . After training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot , Parris Island , South Carolina , he joined the 1st Marine Division in New River , North Carolina . Bausell was promoted to Private First Class on March 25 , 1942 , and to Corporal on June 1 , 1942 . On May 20 , 1942 , the 5th Marines sailed for the Pacific arriving at Wellington , New Zealand , on June 20 , 1942 , the marines immediately began preparations for landing in the Solomon Islands . Corporal Bausell took part in the initial landings on Guadalcanal and fought there for four months before going southward to Melbourne , Australia . In the spring of the next year he sailed for New Guinea . Serving with the 5th Marines , 1st Marine Division , Cpl Bausell prepared for the next campaign , in New Guinea and then made the Cape Gloucester , New Britain , landing three days after the original invasion in December 1943 . With that campaign concluded , the division returned to the Solomon Islands and went to Pavuvu Island for rest , rehabilitation , and preparation for another campaign . The Peleliu landing took place on September 15 , 1944 and the 5th Marines were the left flank regiment on the division front . In the first hour of action , the assault waves fought their way 100 yards inland to the top of a small coral ridge , one of dozens on the island . Cpl Bausell , who , one month earlier had been examined and found qualified for promotion to the rank of sergeant , was in a squad assigned to clean out one of the many enemy - infested caves which honeycombed the ridge . On one side of the cave , a Marine second lieutenant and several of his men used a flame thrower to force the enemy out while Cpl Bausell and several others waited with rifles ready . Two men stood at the entrance , firing into the cave . A Japanese soldier charged out holding a grenade against his body and lunged toward the small band of Marines . The grenade exploded injuring several Marines and killing the attacker . As the remaining enemy combatants exited the cave , a grenade was thrown amongst the Marines . Cpl Bausell heroically threw himself on the grenade and saved the lives of his fellow Marines . Cpl Bausell was evacuated to a hospital ship where after three days , on September 18 , he succumbed to his wounds . He was buried at sea . Decorations and honors . The Medal of Honor , posthumously awarded the Marine by President Franklin D . Roosevelt , was presented to his mother and father in the Navy Department in Washington , D . C . by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on June 11 , 1945 . Gen Alexander A . Vandegrift , then Commandant of the Marine Corps , was present for the ceremony , as were the Bausell ' s two sisters and one sister - in - law . In addition to the Medal of Honor , Cpl Bausell was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart ; Presidential Unit Citation ; Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze stars and the World War II Victory Medal . On November 19 , 1945 in Bath , Maine , a new destroyer , the , was christened by Cpl Bausell ' s mother . She was a Gearing - class destroyer who served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and the Vietnam War . Medal of Honor citation . The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to CORPORAL LEWIS K . BAUSELL 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 the First Battalion , Fifth Marines , First Marine Division , during action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island , Palau Group , September 15 , 1944 . Valiantly placing himself at the head of his squad , Corporal Bausell led the charge forward against a hostile pillbox which was covering a vital sector of the beach and , as the first to reach the emplacement , immediately started firing his automatic into the aperture while the remainder of his men closed in on the enemy . Swift to act a Japanese grenade was hurled into their midst , Corporal Bausell threw himself on the deadly weapon , taking the full blast of the explosion and sacrificing his own life to save his men . His unwavering loyalty and inspiring courage reflect the highest credit upon Corporal Bausell and the United States Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life for his country . / S / FRANKLIN D . ROOSEVELT