CASAMENTO, ANTHONY
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company
D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. Place and date:
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Entered service at: Brooklyn, New York. Date
and place of birth: 16 November 1920, Brooklyn, New York.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the
call of duty while serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division
on Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands, in action against the enemy Japanese forces on 1
November 1942. Serving as a leader of a machine gun section, Corporal Casamento directed
his unit to advance along a ridge near the Matanikau River where they engaged the enemy.
He positioned his section to provide covering fire for two flanking units and to provide
direct support for the main force of his company which was behind him. During the course
of this engagement, all members of his section were either killed or severely wounded and
he himself suffered multiple, grievous wounds. Nonetheless, Corporal Casamento continued
to provide critical supporting fire for the attack and in defense of his position.
Following the loss of all effective personnel, he set up, loaded, and manned his unit's
machine gun. tenaciously holding the enemy forces at bay. Corporal Casamento
single-handedly engaged and destroyed one machine gun emplacement to his front and took
under fire the other emplacement on the flank. Despite the heat and ferocity of the
engagement, he continued to man his weapon and repeatedly repulsed multiple assaults by
the enemy forces, thereby protecting the flanks of the adjoining companies and holding his
position until the arrival of his main attacking force. Corporal Casamento's courageous
fighting spirit, heroic conduct, and unwavering dedication to duty reflected great credit
upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the
United States Naval Service.
