John H. Willis
| John Harlan Willis | |
|---|---|
 
PhM1c John Willis, U.S. Navy Reserve
Medal of Honor recipient |
|
| Born |
June 10, 1921 Columbia, Tennessee |
| Died | February 28, 1945 (aged 23) Iwo Jima |
| Place of burial | Rose Hill Cemetery, Columbia, Tennessee |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1940-1945 |
| Rank | Pharmacist's Mate First Class |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
World War II • Battle of Iwo Jima |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Purple Heart Medal (2) |
John Harlan Willis (June 10, 1921 – February 28, 1945) was a United States Navy hospital corpsman who was killed in action during World War II while attached to a Marine Corps rifle company. He was awarded the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—posthumously, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Willis was born on June 10, 1921, in Columbia, Tennessee. He graduated from Columbia Central High School.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on November 5, 1940. He received navy recruit training at Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia and hospital corpsman training at the Norfolk Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia. In March 1941, Willis was promoted to seaman second class and was briefly assigned to the Naval Hospital, Parris Island, South Carolina, transferring to Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, in the late spring. In August 1941, he was promoted to hospital apprentice first class and, in December, to pharmacist mate third class. After receiving a promotion to pharmacist mate second class in September 1942, Willis served with Naval Operating Base Units, organizing and training units for overseas service. On July 1, 1943, he was promoted to pharmacist's mate first class. That November, he joined the Training Detachment, Field Medical School Battalion, Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Training Center at Camp Elliott, San Diego, California, transferring in early 1944 to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California.
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