NAVY DESTROYER TO BE NAMED AFTER NEW JERSEY MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

The Navy announced on Tuesday, August 16, 2016, that a future guided missile destroyer will be named after World War II Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone, who grew up in Raritan, N.J. It will be the second warship named after Basilone, who as a gunnery sergeant was awarded the medal for valor during fighting in the tide-turning battle for Guadalcanal in 1942. He later returned to action in the Pacific and was killed in action on the first day of the battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism and is the only enlisted Marine from World War II to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

Basilone was born in Buffalo, NY, but grew up in Raritan, the sixth of 10 children of Italian-American parents. The new USS John Basilone, designated DDG 122, is expected to enter service in six years. The last ship to bear his name was decommissioned in 1977 after 28 years of service. The New Jersey Turnpike Bridge over the Raritan River also is named after Basilone. He was also honored with a postage stamp in 2005. Special thanks to AMHS member and former officer Angela Campanella, who brought this item to our attention. Grazie Angela.