Anthony Casamento

He fought on alone at his machine gun despite severe wounds.

Anthony Casamento was a United States Marine whose defense of a machine-gun position on Guadalcanal earned the Medal of Honor almost thirty-eight years after the action. Born in New York City on 16 November 1920, he enlisted in the Marine Corps on 19 August 1940. He landed on Guadalcanal with Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

On 1 November 1942, Casamento led a machine-gun section along a ridge near the Matanikau River. His section supported the company’s advance and protected its flanks. Every member was killed or seriously wounded, and Casamento suffered grievous wounds himself. He nevertheless loaded and operated the machine gun alone, destroyed an enemy emplacement and repelled repeated attacks until the main force reached him.

Casamento was evacuated to the United States for treatment at the naval hospital in Oakland, California. After the war he lived in West Islip, New York. The discovery of two surviving eyewitnesses in 1964 helped revive the effort to secure recognition for his actions.

President Jimmy Carter presented the Medal of Honor at the White House on 12 September 1980. Casamento died in Northport, New York, on 18 July 1987 and is buried in Long Island National Cemetery at Farmingdale.

Full Medal of Honor citation:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division on Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands, in action against the enemy Japanese forces on 1 November 1942. Serving as a leader of a machine gun section, Cpl. Casamento directed his unit to advance along a ridge near the Matanikau River where they engaged the enemy. He positioned his section to provide covering fire for two flanking units and to provide direct support for the main force of his company which was behind him. During the course of this engagement, all members of his section were either killed or severely wounded and he himself suffered multiple, grievous wounds. Nonetheless, Cpl. Casamento continued to provide critical supporting fire for the attack and in defense of his position. Following the loss of all effective personnel, he set up, loaded, and manned his unit’s machine gun, tenaciously holding the enemy forces at bay. Cpl. Casamento singlehandedly engaged and destroyed one machine gun emplacement to his front and took under fire the other emplacement on the flank. Despite the heat and ferocity of the engagement, he continued to man his weapon and repeatedly repulsed multiple assaults by the enemy forces, thereby protecting the flanks of the adjoining companies and holding his position until the arrival of his main attacking force. Cpl. Casamento’s courageous fighting spirit, heroic conduct, and unwavering dedication to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.”