Lot-801-35:  Guadalcanal Campaign, 7 August 1942 – February 9 1943. Press Query About Hero’s Father Brings a Smile.   Platoon Sergeant John Basilone, USMC, broke out in this big smile in the pres room at the Navy Department, September 2, 1943, when in the course of an interview, a reporter asked about his Italian-born father.  Asked what his father thought of him serving in the Marines, Basilone smiled and answered simply, “My father likes this country.”  The Marine sergeant was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Guadalcanal.   Basilone later died at the Battle for Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945, during that D-Day invasion.  U.S. Navy Photograph.    Photographed through Mylar sleeve.  (2015/11/06).
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/127906254@N06">National Museum of the U.S. Navy</a>
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