WWII uncovered: Honoring Medal of Honor Recipient William Harrell: Holding the Line at Iwo Jima: The Two Man Alamo
"William George Harrell departed for overseas duty in February 1943 with Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, as an armorer. He first served in Hawaii, then went on to Saipan then to Iwo Jima. Sergeant Harrell earned the Medal of Honor during the Iwo Jima campaign for continuing to halt a Japanese advance toward his Command Post although suffering from the loss of one hand and several disabling cuts on his legs.
"On March 3, 1945, Sergeant Harrell and Private First Class Andrew Carter dug in for the night in a long narrow two-man foxhole on Iwo Jima, on a little ridge 20 yards forward of the depression where the company command post was established. Beyond the foxhole the ridge fell off into a ravine which was in Japanese territory. Because of their nearness to the enemy, the two men took turns standing one-hour watches throughout the night while the other slept when Japanese troops infiltrated the lines in the early morning.
They battled several of the advancing enemy until Carter’s rifle jammed. While Carter left to obtain another weapon, the assault on Sergeant Harrell continued. An enemy grenade disabled his left hand and fractured his thigh. Eliminating two of the enemy, Sergeant Harrell then challenged more enemy troops who charged his position, and placed a grenade near his head. Dispatching one man with his pistol, he grasped the grenade with his right hand and, pushing it, saw his remaining assailant destroyed, but his own hand severely damaged in the explosion. By dawn, the enemy had withdrawn leaving twelve perished around the foxhole. His commander later called Sergeant Harrell’s position the “two-man Alamo.”" -Texas State Historical Association
Sergeant Harrell was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman at the White House on October 5, 1945 and promoted to Staff Sergeant upon his discharge from the Marine Corps in 1946.
Sergeant Harrell passed away on August 9, 1964 in San Antonio, Texas, and was laid to rest in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio.
In addition to the Medal of Honor, Sergeant Harrell was awarded the Purple Heart; Presidential Unit Citation; Good Conduct Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze star; American Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal. Lest We Forget.
Private First Class Andrew Carter was honored with the Navy Cross for his bravery and valor during this confrontation. Lest We Forget.
British tanks, trucks, and other armored vehicles that took part in the defeat of Germany at the end of World War II, lie piled on top of each other at a scrapyard in Hamburg, still waiting to be broken up and recycled, May 1958.
