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 11, 1945 he died at sea. His remains were buried in the 2nd Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan. Later,