BATH — The christening of a Navy destroyer on Saturday highlighted the sacrifices of two generations – the ship’s namesake killed in World War II and another Marine who died more than 60 years later.
The future USS Basilone bears the name of a Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor before his death on Iwo Jima.
Breaking a bottle on the ship’s bow for good luck was a woman who lost her brother in an ambush in Fallujah, Iraq.
The legacy and sacrifice of such Marines are never forgotten, Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps Troy Black told a crowd of 2,000 gathered next to the warship at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works in Maine.
Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism while defending Henderson Field against a fierce assault by a 3,000-strong Japanese force during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.
The New Jersey resident returned home to a hero’s welcome and a parade. But he asked to rejoin his comrades and died on the opening day of the invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945.
His 92-year-old brother, Donald, and others at the ceremony spoke of Basilone’s patriotism and bravery.
That included his insistence on returning to combat. “He really wanted to go back,” Don Basilone said in statement read by his niece.
Co-sponsor Ryan Manion salutes a crowd after christening the future USS Basilone by crashing a bottle of sparkling wine on the bow of the Navy destroyer on Saturday. David Sharp/Associated Press
Ryan Manion, who lost her brother in Iraq, said both her brother and the ship’s namesake were cut from the same cloth even though they were from different generations.
“John Basilone was a young patriot who joined the military to do his job when his country needed him the most,” she said.
The ceremony marked a milestone in construction of the 509-foot guided-missile destroyer. Dignitaries included admirals, family members, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Manion, who is one of the ship’s sponsors, is president of the Pennsylvania-based Travis Manion Foundation, which aims to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes, using her brother’s words, “If not me, then who?”
Her brother was killed by a sniper when he exposed himself enemy fire to divert attention from his unit during an ambush in 2007 in Iraq.
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