Description:

JOHN BASILONE'S MEDAL OF HONOR CHEST RIBBON AND MARINE CORPS LAPEL INSIGNIA
JOHN BASILONE (1916-1945) U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross. Three highly important relics once owned by Basilone and worn on his uniform, namely the 1 1/2" long Medal of Honor blue ribbon with white stars, along with his pair of U.S.M.C. eagle, globe and anchor collar insignia. The Medal of Honor ribbon would appear alone on Basilone's uniform, as it has two pins with push-on clasps on the reverse. The collar insignia bear screw-on fasteners. These superb relics were obtained by our consignor directly from Basilone's family, specifically from his first cousin's daughter. In a letter of provenance to our consignor, she describes the relationship, and mentions how her father and Basilone were close and often visited. Also included: an original 2 3/4" x 3 3/4" b/w wedding photo of Basilone and his bride from the family scrapbook, annotated on verso, July, 1944; an annotated scrapbook of about twenty wartime clippings concerning the hero, assembled and kept by the family; a New York Daily News color photo of Basilone, framed and kept by the famil; and a 2pp. illustrated article by Look magazine. Our consignor has also included his letter of provenance describing his acquisition of this historic grouping. A museum-quality grouping. At Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, Basilone's unit was attacked by 3,000 Japanese using machine guns, grenades, and mortars against the American heavy machine guns. Basilone's machine guns fought for two days until only Basilone and two other Marines were left standing. Following a war bond tour of the U.S. and his marriage, Basilone returned to combat. At Iwo Jima he again exhibited incredible bravery but was killed by mortar fire, posthumously receiving the Navy Cross.

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December 8, 2015 10:30 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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