The name of Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone still looms large in the chronicles of New Jersey’s military history.
One of the Garden State’s most famous and revered military heroes, Basilone served with the Marines in World War II. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest of military decorations, for extraordinary heroism at the battle of Guadalcanal in October 1942.
Basilone was credited with almost singlehandedly holding off waves of Japanese assault troops for three days with no food, no water and no break.
He returned to the States to receive his Medal of Honor, then toured the country on a war bond drive.
Basilone became something of a national celebrity during this tour, prompting the Pentagon to offer him a desk job in Washington, D.C., to ensure one of the military’s most famous heroes stayed out of harm’s way.
Basilone would have none of this. He insisted on rejoining his unit in the Pacific Theater of the war.
“I’m staying with my boys,” he famously said.
Basilone returned in time to participate in the invasion of Iwo Jima in January 1945.
During the early hours of the battle, Basilone was credited with destroying a Japanese defensive blockhouse before he was killed by enemy fire. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
Basilone remains the only enlisted Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. He is also the only Medal of Honor recipient to be killed in action after being presented the medal.
Basilone is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, in his hometown of Raritan, there are statues, buildings and roads named for Basilone. There is even a police dog in the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office named K9 Basilone.
There are also numerous commemorations for Basilone around New Jersey and the country.
In November, the Navy will bestow a significant honor on the Basilone name. It will commission a new destroyer named the USS Basilone. It will be the second destroyer named after the Raritan hero — the first having been commissioned in 1949.
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Kim Van Note is John Basilone’s niece. She co-founded the nonprofit Basilone Memorial Foundation in 2017 along with Don Tozzi, today the president of the Raritan borough council.
“I wanted to keep my uncle’s name alive,” said Van Note. “I don’t want the legacy to die, especially with the younger generation. They need to know the sacrifices made by these men and women so we can be free.”
The Basilone Foundation raises money for charities — specifically the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerset and Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit that provides lodgings for military and veteran’s families while a loved one is in the hospital.
“I had jobs before starting the foundation and none of them were fulfilling,” said Van Note. “The work we do at the foundation feels really good.”
BMF has two significant fundraisers on its calendar.
On Sept. 21, it will host the annual 5K run in Raritan. Up to 200 participants will navigate the streets and neighborhoods of Raritan beginning at 10 a.m. The event is called “Manila Madness,” a nod to John Basilone’s nickname “Manila John.”
A few weeks later, on Oct. 7, BMF will host the third annual “Protect and Serve Golf Classic” at Fiddler’s Elbow in Bedminster.
The annual Basilone Memorial Parade, a Raritan tradition, will take place at 1 p.m. Sept. 22.
More information about these events can be found here.
A New Jersey hero
John Basilone’s heroism earned him national notoriety. Some of the ways he has been honored by his country:
- A U.S. stamp in 2005
- A memorial plaque at the U.S. Naval Memorial in Washington, D.C.
- A Navy destroyer named in his honor in 1949
- A new Navy destroyer to be named in his honor in November
- A statue at Piazza Basilone in Little Italy in San Deigo
- An entry road into Camp Pendleton in California
- A portion of U.S. Interstate 5 near Camp Pendelton
Some of the ways John Basilone has been honored by his home state:
- Induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011
- A memorial parade in his honor held every year in Raritan since 1981
- A memorial statue at the intersection of Old York Road and Canal Street in Raritan
- A bridge on the New Jersey Turnpike spanning the Raritan River
- A bridge connecting Raritan and Hillsborough across the Raritan River
- A residence hall at Montclair State University
- The football field at Bridgewater Raritan High School
- An overpass at the Somerville traffic circle spanning Route 202/206
- A connector road at Newark Liberty International Airport
- A room in the Raritan Public Library
