Gunnery Sgt. Basilone, the man whom Gen. Douglas MacArthur called "a one-man army," became the only man in the history of the United States awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and the Purple Heart.

John Basilone has been remembered in a variety of ways for his service and supreme sacrifice. In 1949 a destroyer, the USS Basilone was commissioned. The New Jersey Turnpike Bridge across the Raritan River is named in his honor, as are numerous American Legion and Marine Corps League Posts. Interstate 5 outside of Camp Pendleton has been renamed the John Basilone Memorial Highway. A tribute to the war hero started in 1981 with "Basilone Day" and continues to be celebrated annually in Raritan, N.J. on the last weekend in September.

Yet, while all kinds of ridiculous items have commemorative stamps, i.e. Bugs Bunny, All in the Family, Daffy Duck, etc., etc,. the Basilone Stamp is still after 4 years, .... since 2000 is only being "considered", with Resolutions being submitted, and expiring each year !!!!!

For more than 60 years Marines have heard about the legendary acts of Gunnery Sgt. John "Manila" Basilone.

In the steaming jungles of Guadalcanal, two sections of heavy .30-caliber machine guns at the Tenaru River were in charge of defending a narrow pass to Henderson Airfield in the Solomon Islands. Suddenly, Japanese forces attacked their position. Vastly out numbered, the Marines held their ground and fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault.

Suddenly one of the gun crews was knocked out. Disregarding his own life, a Marine lifted his 90 pounds of weaponry and raced 200 yards to the silenced gun pit and started firing. Enemy soldiers attacked to his rear. He cut them down with his Colt .45 pistol. Short of shells, he dashed 200 yards amid a stream of bullets to an ammunition dump and returned with an armload of ammo for his gunners.

This Marine battled his way through hostile lines running back and forth between gun pits clearing jams and re-supplying the other Marines with ammo. Flares lit up more swarms of grenade-tossing attackers. The Marines' hands started blistering from the heat of his machine gun, but still he kept shooting.

At dawn, reinforcements found this Marine resting his head at the edge of his pit. The line had held. Nearly 100 sprawled enemy dead were around his cut-off outpost. At least 38 enemy dead were credited to this Marine, many killed at arms length. The day was Oct. 24, 1942 and his name was Gunnery Sgt. Basilone. For his actions he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Upon returning to the United States, this Raritan, N.J. native traveled across the country on a war bond tour that prompted $1.4 million in pledges. He met Hollywood starlets and his picture even made the cover of Life magazine.

The Marine Corps offered to make him an officer and let him spend the rest of the war in Washington, but he reportedly turned them down stating, "I'm a plain soldier, and I want to stay one."

After his war bond tour, Gunnery Sgt. Basilone requested to be reassigned to a gunner unit with the 27th Marines. He could have continued to sell war bonds or he could have even stayed back in the states. But this man instead chose to live his life as a Marine.

So he said farewell to his new wife, Lena Riggi, and joined the Fifth Division. Staying behind, he told buddies, would be "like being a museum piece." And it wouldn't seem right, he said, "if the Marines made a landing on the Manila waterfront and 'Manila John' wasn't among them."

On February 19, 1945, Basilone was again in action on the black sands of Iwo Jima on Red Beach II. Enemy gunfire pinned down his platoon. Everyone, that is, but Basilone, who walked straight up, kicking butts and yelling, "Get off the beach! Move out," he yelled at the gunners just behind, hunkered low and straining under the heavy loads of weapons and ammunition amid the blistering fire. Minutes later an enemy artillery round exploded, killing Gunnery Sgt. Basilone and four other members from his platoon. Immediately before, he had single-handedly destroyed a Japanese blockhouse, allowing his unit to capture an airfield. On his outstretched left arm was a tattoo that read "Death before Dishonor." He was 27 years old.

After World War II, his body was reburied with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

Marine Corps News> The legend of Gunnery Sgt. Basilone
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Thanks to Gil Padovani

BASILINE COMMEMORATIVE STAMP CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

ARLINGTON, Va.(March 5, 2004) -- While members of Congress and the Senate go through proposed resolutions each day, two legislatures stand ready requesting a commemorative postage stamp be issued honoring Gunnery Sgt. John "Manila" Basilone.

Since 2001, Representative Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) have taken it upon themselves to make sure history does not forget one of its Medal of Honor recipients by submitting resolutions to pass this act.

Representative Pascrell working closely with the National Italian-American Foundation and the Order of Sons of Italy of America took up a cause to persuade the 13-member Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to approve their request.

When they didn't receive a positive response, Mr. Pascrell and other delegates of the 107th Congress submitted Concurrent Resolution 4, for the United States Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend to the Postmaster General that this postage stamp be issued.

"After being elected to Congress, I learned that numerous Italian American Organizations and Marine Corps Leagues were interested in honoring Gunnery Sgt. Basilone with a commemorative stamp," said Congressman Pascrell. "I thought, who better to honor on a stamp than one of the most decorated battle heroes in World War II? As a former officer in the U.S. Army, I think it is important that we honor all those for have made great sacrifice to defend freedom."

As new sessions of government are seated, each bill that has not been processed expires. The latest legislatures on this issue are Resolution 218 in the House of Representatives and Resolution 56 in the Senate.

"Sergeant Basilone's heroism during the Second World War is legendary and he was profoundly patriotic," said Senator Corzine. "But after returning home, he quickly demanded a return to the frontlines..."

While these bills have endured the test of time, Basilone supporters from all over the country have been contacting their congressman and senators to push this request forward.

"I heard about the bill last summer and immediately started contacting my local government offices and eventually branched out to the surrounding state offices," said Edward Mottola, Sons of Italy in America member. "This man was dedicated to his country and proved it twice, which makes him well deserving of this honor. And after working 8 months on this, I'm not going to stop now."

Basilone supporters also have worked to distribute petitions throughout the country acquiring support for this bill. Jordan Jaffee and other members of the John Basilone stamp campaign have been active on this project since 2000, which has added to more than four million signatures and the support of many politicians.

"Everywhere I go I carry campaign petitions with me," said Jordan Jaffe, John Basilone Campaign project coordinator. But most of the signatures I get are from calling or sending letters out to people."

While the 2004 and 2005 stamp programs are completed, the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee is still convening on what stamps will be issued for 2006. Although no public announcement of individual stamps will be made until the entire stamp program for that year has been approved, the Gunnery Sgt. Basilone stamp is one of those considerations.

"He went above and beyond the call of duty and I can't wait until the day when I see the first John Basilone stamp pass through my post office," said Raritan, N.J. Postmaster George Lawrence. "I think passing this bill is important because as time goes by people forget about the individual sacrifices that were made."

"Any time we can pay tribute to one of our Marines, especially someone like Gunnery Sgt. 'Manila John' Basilone, it's a tremendous honor," said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada. "Being immortalized on a stamp is quite a tribute to Basilone and the entire Marine Corps.

As word spreads about both bills, the strength for the ongoing campaign grows each day. With the number of signatures acquired, this cause has become the largest stamp campaign in the history of the United States.

"Few individual's service stands above the efforts of John Basilone, therefore honoring his life is necessary," said Pascrell. "We are generating support for this legislation and as more members become familiar with the tale of 'Manila John,' our effort will gain more momentum."

Of John Basilone's family, three of his nine brothers and sisters are still alive today...