Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy

On the volcanic battlefield of Iwo Jima, with Japanese machine guns cutting down Marines and an entire company pinned beneath relentless fire, one officer refused to let the advance collapse. Captain Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy did not simply order his men forward. He led the assault himself, charging into a storm of enemy fire and earning the Medal of Honor for one of the most extraordinary acts of battlefield leadership in World War II.

Born on 10 August 1911 in Chicago, Illinois, Joseph J. McCarthy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 20 February 1937. After completing four years of service, he returned to active duty in February 1942 following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Rising from the enlisted ranks, he accepted a commission in the Marine Corps Reserve and eventually commanded Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. His combat journey took him through four major Pacific battles: Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.

His courage had already been tested long before Iwo Jima. On 4 July 1944, during the Battle of Saipan, McCarthy's company came under intense Japanese rifle and machine-gun fire. When two Navy hospital corpsmen were shot while attempting to assist a wounded officer, McCarthy left the relative safety of his position and rushed toward the casualties. He attempted to carry one surviving man to safety, but the wounded man was fatally struck and died in McCarthy's arms. For this extraordinary act of compassion and courage under enemy fire, he received the Silver Star. His official citation recognized his exceptional gallantry, selfless efforts, and devotion to duty.

But McCarthy's defining moment was still ahead.

On 21 February 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, his company was halted by heavily fortified Japanese positions near Motoyama Airfield No. 2. Enemy machine guns, rifles, and 47 mm weapons made further movement seemingly impossible. McCarthy personally organized a small assault force equipped with grenades, flamethrowers, and demolition charges, then led it across 75 yards of exposed ground.

Under devastating fire, he attacked a fortified pillbox, personally throwing grenades while directing his assault team. After destroying the first position, he pressed forward against another enemy emplacement. Inside its ruins, he encountered a Japanese soldier preparing to shoot one of his Marines. McCarthy immediately overpowered the enemy soldier, seized his weapon, and killed him. He then rallied his company, renewed the assault, and captured the fiercely defended ridge.

For his extraordinary leadership and personal bravery, McCarthy received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military decoration. His official citation praised his remarkable tactical skill, determination, and complete disregard for personal danger. President Harry S. Truman presented him with the medal at the White House on 5 October 1945.

The cost of McCarthy's service was personal. Wounded during both the Saipan and Iwo Jima campaigns, he received the Purple Heart with a Gold Star, representing two awards. His combat service also contributed to the distinguished wartime record of the 4th Marine Division, whose Pacific operations received major unit citations.

After the war, McCarthy continued serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also returned to the Chicago Fire Department, where he helped modernize and expand its ambulance service, continuing a lifetime dedicated to protecting others.

Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy died on 15 June 1996 and was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. His legacy extends beyond the Medal of Honor, the Silver Star, and the battlefields of the Pacific. He is remembered as a Marine who repeatedly risked his life for those under his command, a leader who refused to abandon the wounded, and a man whose courage was measured not only by the ground he captured, but by the lives he fought to save.

Medal of Honor citation

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of a rifle company attached to the 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands on 21 February 1945. Determined to break through the enemy's cross-island defenses, Capt.

McCarthy acted on his own initiative when his company advance was held up by uninterrupted Japanese rifle, machine-gun, and high-velocity 47-mm fire during the approach to Motoyama Airfield No. 2.

Quickly organizing a demolition and flamethrower team to accompany his picked rifle squad, he fearlessly led the way across 75 yards of fire-swept ground, charged a heavily fortified pillbox on the ridge of the front, and, personally hurling hand grenades into the emplacement as he directed the combined operations of his small assault group, completely destroyed the hostile installation.

Spotting two Japanese soldiers attempting an escape from the shattered pillbox, he boldly stood upright in full view of the enemy and dispatched both troops before advancing to a second emplacement under greatly intensified fire and then blasted the strong fortifications with a well-planted demolitions attack. Subsequently entering the ruins, he found a Japanese taking aim at one of our men and, with alert presence of mind, jumped the enemy, disarmed, and shot him with his own weapon.

Then, intent on smashing through the narrow breach, he rallied the remainder of his company and pressed a full attack with furious aggressiveness until he had neutralized all resistance and captured the ridge. An inspiring leader and indomitable fighter, Capt.

McCarthy consistently disregarded all personal danger during the fierce conflict and, by his brilliant professional skill, daring tactics, and tenacious perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, contributed materially to the success of his division's operations against the savagely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His cool decision and outstanding valor reflect the highest credit upon Capt. McCarthy and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.