U.S. Postal Service to Issue Basilone Stamp
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON, August
25, 2004 World
War II hero John Basilone
will be honored with
a commemorative postage
stamp in 2005, the Order
Sons of Italy in America
(OSIA) learned today
from the U.S. Postal
Service (USPS).
Marine
Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone
will be one of four Marines
to be honored in a USPS
Distinguished Marine
stamp series that will
be released sometime
in 2005. The other
Marines are Daniel J.
Daly; John A. Lejeune
and Louis B. Puller.
The design for the Basilone stamp has been approved, but the date of its unveiling has not been set, according to USPS spokesman Mark Saunders.
John
Basilone was the only
enlisted Marine in World
War II to earn both the
Medal of Honor and the
Navy Cross, the nation's
two highest military
honors for bravery in
battle. General
Douglas MacArthur called
him "a one-man army" for
his valor in a battle
with a Japanese regiment
during the Battle of
Guadalcanal on October
24-25, 1942.
During
a fierce frontal attack
with the Japanese, Sgt.
Basilone was left with
only two of his men. Under
continual fire, he held
off the enemy until replacements
arrived. Later,
with ammunition critically
low and the supply lines
cut off, Sgt. Basilone
battled his way through
hostile lines with urgently
needed shells for his
gunners, thereby contributing
in large measure to the
virtual annihilation
of a Japanese regiment.
For
his bravery, he was awarded the Medal of Honor and
sent back to the U.S., where he helped raise more than
$1 million in war bonds. He was offered
a desk job in Washington, D.C. but preferred to return
to his company.
Shortly
after returning to the Pacific war zone, Sgt. Basilone
was killed during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. He
was 29 years old. For his bravery in this battle, he
was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He also
received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
Italian
Americans have campaigned for a Basilone stamp for
nearly 15 years. Among the first was
Peter Ippolito of Union, N.J. who collected more than
200,000 signatures, according to Manny Alfano of UNICO
National, who also spearheaded the Basilone stamp campaign.
Soon
Ippolito and Alfano were joined by OSIA under then-CSJ
President John Dabbene.
OSIA
lodges and members collected an estimated 60,000 signatures,
petitioned the USPS and its Citizens Stamp Advisory
Committee and enlisted the assistance of such political
leaders as Sen. Jon Corzine and Congressman Bill Pascrell,
both of New Jersey. These efforts
were supported by petitions from the U.S. Marine Corp
as well.
"We cannot find the words to express our immense
pride that this young war hero will at last receive
the official recognition he so richly earned by his
courage and sacrifice," said OSIA National President
Joseph Sciame.
"This is a victory and a cause for celebration
for all Italian American organizations and individuals.
No one person or group can claim all the credit," Sciame
said. "We worked together to make this happen."
OSIA is the oldest and largest national
organization for men and women of Italian descent in
the United States. Established in 1905, OSIA has more
than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of
more than 700 chapters coast to coast
OSIA works at the community, national and
international levels to promote the heritage and culture
of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nation’s
fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. To learn more, visit OSIA on the Web at www.osia.org
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