![]() ![]() Then he did it again, later, with another pillbox. He finally got close enough to shove a grenade in. Finally Watson spotted the pillbox that was the source of the fire, and he made his way toward it. ![]() On February 26, Watson’s battalion was moving forward slowly, but they were being pummeled by machine-gun fire. The fighting was intense, and the Japanese fire was seemingly endless. In the midst of the tough battle on the Japanese island, he surely must have wondered if he’d live to see his 24th birthday? He’d celebrated his 23rd birthday aboard a ship heading toward Iwo Jima. “It was the one thing we had instilled in us because without them you’ve got nothing.” “He was protective of his men,” one sergeant later explained. Walsh threw himself on the grenade, absorbing its impact and killing himself instantly in the process. Finally, one rolled in with less time to spare. The Japanese kept throwing grenades, but Walsh kept throwing the grenades back out. By then, Walsh was in a hole with several wounded men. ![]() The Marines’ first charge was forced back, as was the second. “Hell we can’t stay here!” he reportedly declared. It had been a demoralizing night, but Walsh seemed undeterred and he boldly led his men into the fight. Walsh and his men had spent the night before being pounded by enemy fire. He soon found himself in a fight to capture a ridge near Hill 362. In February 1945, Gunnery Sergeant Walsh was with the forces at Iwo Jima. “Strict, but fair,” one sergeant later recalled. ![]()
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