Stein, Anthony Michael “Tony”.

Stein, Anthony Michael “Tony”. born 30-09-1921, in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, to Anthony Michael Stephen (formerly called Istvan) (1888–1986) and Rose Brandalek Parks, (1890–1971). His parents had emigrated from Yugoslavia and were German-speaking immigrants with Austrian papers. They came to American to escape anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe and embrace the opportunities of the United States. Tony was a daredevil as a kid and never showed fear of anything. His care-free behavior did not lend itself to school and Anthony attended Kiser High School there. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on 22-09-1942. He knew they were the first sent into battle and he wanted to defend his country.

Anthony was a member of the elite Paramarines from the end of his recruit training until the Paramarines were disbanded in 1944. Assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Stein fought in the Vella Lavella and Bougainville Campaigns, shooting five snipers in a single day during the latter operation. A toolmaker prior to the war, Stein customized a .30 caliber AN/M2 Browning machine gun from a wrecked Navy fighter plane into a highly effective personal machine gun he nicknamed the “Stinger”. After the Paramarines were disbanded, Stein returned to Camp Pendleton, California, where he was promoted to corporal and assigned as an assistant squad leader to Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines in the newly formed 5th Marine Division. under command of  Major General Keller Emrik Rockey

Death and burial ground of Stein, Anthony Michael “Tony”.

On 19-02-1945, he took part in the amphibious landings which began the Battle of Iwo Jima. As his unit moved inland, he stormed a series of hostile pillboxes using his “Stinger” and made eight trips back to the beach to retrieve ammunition, each time taking a wounded Marine with him. It was for his actions on this day that he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. The 28th Marines next helped capture Mount Suribachi itself, culminating in the raising of the U.S. flag on the mountain’s peak on February 23.

Mount Suribachi is a 169-metre (554 ft)-high mountain on the southwest end of Iwo Jima in the northwest Pacific Ocean under the administration of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan.

The mountain’s name derives from its shape, resembling a suribachi or grinding bowl. It is also known as “Mount Pipe”, since the volcanic gas and water vapor that rolls in from the summit, alongside the rest of the island, give the appearance of a smoking pipe when viewed from the sea.

Joe Rosenthal’s  iconic World War II photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, depicting United States Marines raising an American flag, was taken at the mountain’s peak during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Ammunition ship USS Suribachi was named after this mountain.

Stein was wounded during the fight for Suribachi and evacuated to a hospital ship. Meanwhile, his regiment advanced up the west side of the island until reaching the strongly defended Hill 362A, where they took heavy casualties. When Stein heard of this, he left the hospital ship and returned to his unit. On March 1, he was killed by a sniper while leading a 19-man patrol to reconnoiter a machine gun emplacement which had Company A pinned down. He was physically tough, willing to take risks and helpful to others. He was physically tough, willing to take risks and helpful to others. Stein’s Medal of Honor was presented to his widow on 19-02-1946, during a ceremony in the office of Ohio Governor Frank John Lausche . Admiral Richard Pennoyer tied the Medal around her neck as she stood there both proud and very sad. Stein’s mother also was there, watching with tears streaming down her face. Stein was initially buried in the 5th Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, plot 5, row 6, gave 1107.  a cemetery that would receive one of the most famous eulogies by a U.S. Chaplain a few weeks later, Rabbi Roland Gittlesohn, called “The Purest Democracy.”

The cost of Iwo Jima–American Marines pay homage to comrades who gave their lives in the battle for Iwo Jima. In the 26-day struggle for the Pacific Island which began 18-02-1945, 4189 U.S. Marines were killed, 15,308 wounded and 441 were reported missing. In the same period, 21,000 Japanese were killed. Mount Suribachi is shown in the background.

Following the war, his remains were returned to the U.S. for reinterment in his native Dayton. Stein, Dayton’s only World War II recipient of the Medal of Honor, was buried with full military honors on 17-12-1948, in Calvary Cemetery Section 8, Row 9, following funeral services at Our Lady of the Rosary Church.

The USS Stein (FF-1065), a U.S. Navy Knox-class frigate commissioned in 1972, was named in his honor.

Message(s), tips or interesting graves for the webmaster:    robhopmans@outlook.com