Al Schmid
| Al Schmid | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Albert Andrew Schmid |
| Born |
20 October 1920 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 1 December 1982 (aged 62) St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Allegiance |
 USA
|
| Service/branch | U.S. Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1941 - 1944 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Cross Purple Heart Medal |
Al Schmid (20 October 1920 – 1 December 1982) was a United States Marine awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at the Battle of the Tenaru (Ilu River) during the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II. Credited with killing over 200 Japanese attackers during a night-long assault, he was blinded in action by a grenade blast and endured multiple surgeries and extended rehabilitation upon his return to the U.S..
His life story appeared in the American news magazines of the time, the book Al Schmid, Marine by Roger Butterfield, and the 1945 film Pride of the Marines, in which he was played by American actor John Garfield.
Albert Andrew Schmid was born in the Burholme neighborhood of Philadelphia, the second son and third child of Adolph and Marian Schmid who both came from Germany to Philadelphia in the early 1880s. His father worked as a truck driver and baker. His mother died around 1932 and after his father remarried in 1934, Albert (AL) moved out about 1938, eventually becoming an apprentice steel burner at the Dodge Steel Company in Philadelphia in 1940.
Schmid enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 9 December 1941 after hearing on the radio of the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. He received recruit training at Parris Island South Carolina, and further training at New River North Carolina where he was assigned to the 11th Machine Gun Squad, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. While on leave, he used a $60 bonus from his employer to purchase an engagement ring for his girlfriend Ruth Hartley, a salesgirl he first met in May 1941.
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