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This week's hero is...
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy (no relation to Senator McCarthy) was born on August 10, 1912, in Chicago, Illinois. He chose to enlist in the US Marine Corps in 1937. After serving for four years, he received an honorable discharge. But when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, McCarthy chose to reenlist.
After serving for another year, he was transferred to the 4th Marine Division and found himself on the front-lines of the War in the Pacific. McCarthy saw heavy combat at the battles of Tinian and Saipan. For his valor during these two battles, he received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart and rose to the rank of Captain. By 1945, Captain McCarthy was a battle-scarred veteran who was offered another honorable discharge. Despite being 33 (old for a marine at the time), McCarthy declined and elected to take part in one more battle. This battle would be on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima.
American marines and sailors splashed ashore on February 19, 1945. When they began to move off the beach, the Japanese defenders opened fire and cut them down in droves. The fighting on Iwo Jima soon became a bloody slugfest. The marines were forced to literally fight for every inch of the island. Those that were lucky enough to make it off the beach found themselves pinned down by an incredibly sophisticated system of pillboxes (bunkers) around the airfields. Taking them out with air support proved to be impossible as they were too small and concealed to hit. The marines would only be able to dispatch the pillboxes by getting very close and hitting them from behind.
Captain McCarthy came ashore on February 21. When he saw the situation unfolding with the pillboxes, he quickly organized a plan of attack on airfield No. 2. He led a small group of marines across 75 yards of open ground and began having them hop into shell craters when the pillbox's machine guns paused to reload. They successfully made it to the first pillbox. McCarthy approached it, pulled the pins on two grenades, and threw them both inside.
After they destroyed the pillbox, two Japanese soldiers came out and charged McCarthy, he quickly killed both of them. The other marines in his company then went after a second pillbox, they stuck a flamethrower through an opening and set the whole thing on fire. Just when it seemed to be over, Captain McCarthy spotted a Japanese soldier (who had feigned death) aiming a rifle at an unsuspecting marine. Reacting instantly, he jumped on the enemy soldier and successfully killed the latter with his own weapon.
By destroying two of the pillboxes, Capt. McCarthy and his company had created an opening in the Japanese defenses. They quickly pressed the attack, successfully captured the ridge, and destroyed all the remaining enemy fortifications around airfield No 2. This allowed the rest of the division to move on to taking the other airfields.
For his incredible valor and leadership during the battle of Iwo Jima, Captain Joseph McCarthy received the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 5, 1945. He also received two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. After World War II ended, McCarthy joined the Chicago Fire Department and became the Superintendent of Ambulances. He retired from the fire department in 1973, and spent the rest of his days helping fellow veterans. He died on June 15, 1996, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. When asked about McCarthy, a fellow marine said, "He was not a one-shot hero. He was a hero at every campaign and everything he did".
https://bzohistory.com/joseph-mccarthy/
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/captain-joseph-j-mccarthy-medal-of-honor
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-people/m/mccarthy-joseph-j.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-18-9606180254-story.html
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