This weekend, Raritan remembers a true Jersey hero

New Jersey has produced plenty of famous people.

Few represent courage, humility and service better than Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone.

Basilone was born in Buffalo in 1916, but he was raised and educated in Raritan, where his family returned when he was a small child.

The Somerset County community became his hometown, and it has never forgotten him.

After serving in the Army in the Philippines, Basilone joined the United States Marine Corps. During the brutal fighting at Guadalcanal in October 1942, he commanded two sections of heavy machine guns as Japanese forces hammered the Marine defensive line.

As his unit suffered devastating casualties, Basilone kept fighting.

He moved between positions under fire, repaired and manned damaged weapons, and carried desperately needed ammunition back to his Marines.

His actions helped hold the line and earned him the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military decoration.

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He could have stayed home. He chose to go back.

That alone would have secured his place in American history, but what Basilone did next says even more about the man.

He returned home to a hero’s welcome and helped sell war bonds across the country.

He could have remained safely in the United States selling war bonds, but not this hero. Instead, he asked to return to combat to rejoin his fellow Marines.

On February 19, 1945, the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, Basilone again led at the front.

Under heavy enemy fire, he helped destroy a fortified Japanese position and led his Marines off the beach before he was killed in action at 28 years old.

He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, becoming the only enlisted Marine of World War II to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

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Raritan refuses to let his memory fade

This weekend, as it does every year, Raritan in Somerset County will honor its hometown hero with a full schedule of public events.

On Saturday, September 19, the Basilone Memorial Foundation will hold its 5K Freedom Run, Walk and Ruck at the Basilone statue on Canal Street.

Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m., and the event starts at 9 a.m.

On Sunday, September 20, a memorial Mass begins at St. Ann’s at 10:30 a.m.

Historical displays will be available at the Raritan Public Library, and the John Basilone Parade steps off from the Raritan train station at 1 p.m.

A commemorative ceremony will follow at the Basilone statue.

This is more than a parade; it is a living lesson for our children about courage, duty and sacrifice.

John Basilone became famous because of what he did at Guadalcanal. He became immortal because, when given the chance to remain safe, he chose to go back and stand with his fellow Marines.

This is a Jersey story worth telling, and a hero worth remembering.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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