Bill Text: NJ AR24 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commemorates christening of USS John Basilone.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [AR24 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR24-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MICHELE MATSIKOUDIS
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblyman ERIK PETERSON
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Commemorates christening of USS John Basilone.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution commemorating the christening of the USS John Basilone.
Whereas, The USS John Basilone, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was christened on June 18, 2022; and
Whereas, The guided-missile destroyer is the second ship named after Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone in recognition of his actions while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II; and
Whereas, Because of his actions throughout the war, Basilone was the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross; and
Whereas, Basilone grew up in Raritan Borough, New Jersey with his parents and nine siblings, where he attended St. Bernard Parochial School until he was 15, when he dropped out to work as a golf caddy; and
Whereas, In July of 1934, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Philippines for three years; and
Whereas, After being discharged from the Army and working as a truck driver, Basilone enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940, serving at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, before being sent to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands; and
Whereas, Basilone received the Medal of Honor for the heroism he displayed during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of the war, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor; and
Whereas, Beginning in 1943, Basilone toured the United States selling war bonds before convincing his superiors to put him back into action; and
Whereas, Basilone was killed in action on February 19, 1945, at the Battle of Iwo Jima; and
Whereas, Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest decoration of valor in the Marine Corps, for destroying an enemy blockhouse and leading a Marine tank under fire safely through a minefield on the day he was killed; and
Whereas, Due to his heroism, Basilone was also the focus of a narrative portrayed in the HBO miniseries, The Pacific, which premiered in 2010; and
Whereas, Basilone is held in such high esteem in New Jersey for his courage and extraordinary heroism in World War II, that Basilone Memorial Bridge, located on the New Jersey Turnpike spanning the Raritan River, was named to honor him; and
Whereas, John Basilone was someone whom New Jersey is proud to recognize and honor decades after his death; now, therefore,
Be It
Resolved by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey:
1. This House commemorates the christening of the USS John Basilone and honors the sacrifice the New Jersey native John Basilone made in World War II.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Secretary of the Navy and to the Basilone Memorial Foundation.
STATEMENT
This resolution commemorates the christening of the USS John Basilone and honors the sacrifice the New Jersey native John Basilone made in World War II.
This resolution details the many courageous acts that John Basilone made during World War II and tells the story of his life before the war. John Basilone was the only enlisted Marine in World War II to be awarded the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. He won the Medal of Honor through his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After his time in the Pacific theater, the New Jersey native toured the country selling war bonds. Eventually, he was ready to return to the warfront and after being denied by his superiors a couple of times, his request was granted. He was sent back to the Pacific to the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he died on the first day of the conflict. The day that he died, he destroyed an enemy blockhouse and guided a Marine tank under fire safely through a minefield. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions.
The naming of the USS John Basilone adds to the list of his namesake honors, including another destroyer, the USS Basilone, roads, military locations, and a bridge in New Jersey. Although born in New York, John Basilone spent his childhood with his family in Raritan Borough, New Jersey. He lived in Raritan Borough from the age of 2 to 18, when he joined the United States Army. To honor his memory, New Jersey named a bridge on the New Jersey Turnpike that spans the Raritan River, the Basilone Memorial Bridge. New Jersey is proud to be the home to American hero, John Basilone, and is proud to recognize him again, by commemorating the christening of the USS John Basilone.
