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471:. Stouthearted and indomitable, Sergeant Gray had single-handedly overcome a strong enemy garrison and had completely disarmed a large mine field before finally rejoining his unit and, by his great personal valor, daring tactics and tenacious perseverance in the face of extreme peril, had contributed materially to the fulfillment of his company's mission. His gallant conduct throughout enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the
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1945. Shrewdly gauging the tactical situation when his platoon was held up by a sudden barrage of hostile grenades while advancing toward the high ground northeast of
Airfield Number One, Sergeant Gray promptly organized the withdrawal of his men from enemy grenade range, quickly moved forward alone to reconnoiter and discovered a heavily
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He continued this one-man attack, all the time under heavy small arms fire and grenade barrage, until he had destroyed six enemy positions. At one time a
Japanese grenade landed so close to him that it blew his helmet off. Throughout, he went unarmed so that he could more easily carry the charges and
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Through a hail of enemy small arms fire, Sgt Gray cleared a path through the mine field up to the mouth of one of the fortifications, then returned to his own lines, where with three volunteers, he went back to the battalion dump and acquired twelve satchel charges. Placing these in a defiladed area
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School, upon completion of which he was rated qualified to instruct troops in the laying of mine fields; the reconnaissance of enemy minefields, day and night; the location, neutralization, disarming, and removal of mines; the neutralization of booby-trapped mines; and the day and night clearance of
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extending along the front of a strong network of emplacements joined by covered communication trenches. Although assailed by furious gunfire, he cleared a path leading through the mine field to one of the fortifications then returned to the platoon position and, informing his leader of the serious
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fire from a second entrance to the same position, he unhesitatingly braved the increasingly vicious fusillades to crawl back for another charge, returned to his objective and blasted the second opening, thereby demolishing the position. Repeatedly covering the ground between the savagely defended
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in another opening of the same position, Sgt Gray returned to the defiladed spot, obtained another charge, returned to the position and this time completely destroyed it. Spotting another emplacement, he went through the mine field for the seventh and eighth time to get another charge and destroy
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For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Acting
Platoon Sergeant serving with Company A, First Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marines, Fourth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 21,
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in the area northeast of
Airfield No. 1. Promptly withdrawing his platoon out of range of the grenades, he moved forward to reconnoiter. He ascertained that the advance was held up by a series of enemy emplacements connected by covered communication trenches and fronted by a mine field.
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situation, volunteered to initiate an attack while being covered by three fellow
Marines. Alone and unarmed but carrying a twenty-four pound satchel charge, he crept up the Japanese emplacement, boldly hurled the short-fused explosive and sealed the entrance. Instantly taken under
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within his platoon that was protected from immediate enemy fire, he took one weighing twenty-four pounds. Under covering fire from the three volunteers, Sgt Gray advanced up the path he had cleared and threw the charge into the enemy position in order to neutralize it.
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Although he remained unscratched through his twelve trips back and forth among enemy mines, constantly under heavy fire, Sgt Gray was killed six days later, on
February 27, 1945, by an enemy shell which inflicted fatal wounds in his legs.
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enemy fortifications and his platoon area, he systematically approached, attacked and withdrew under blanketing fire to destroy a total of six
Japanese positions, more than twenty-five of the enemy and a quantity of vital
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lanes through minefields. Examined and found qualified for promotion to the rank of staff sergeant, Sgt Gray, due to the lack of openings for that rate in his organization, was never promoted to the third pay grade.
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Ross
Franklin Gray was born in Marvel Valley, Alabama. He attended the elementary schools of Bibb County and went on to Centreville High School, which he left in 1939 after three years in attendance.
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For his personal valor, daring tactics, and tenacious perseverance in the face of extreme peril on
February 21, Sgt Gray was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President
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Sergeant Gray was initially buried in the 4th Marine
Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, but later his remains were returned to the United States for private burial in
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415:, then Commandant of the Eighth Naval District, at the football field at Centreville High School in the presence of the Governor of the State of Alabama,
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Gray enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in Birmingham, Alabama on July 22, 1942, and was assigned to active duty the same day. After receiving his
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When he had eliminated the six positions, Sgt Gray disarmed the whole mine field before returning to his platoon.
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284:. He played football and basketball at Centreville High and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a devout
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342:. He was made an engineering corporal in March and in June made another assault landing – this time at
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258:– he single-handedly disarmed an entire mine field while under heavy enemy fire. He was
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346:. At the conclusion of the fighting at Saipan, Cpl Gray took part in the landing on
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Private First Class Gray left for overseas duty on January 13, 1944, and landed at
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Promoted to sergeant in August, he attended the 4th Marine Division
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takes pride in presenting in the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
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List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Iwo Jima
288:; his comrades in the Marine Corps called him "The Deacon."
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United States Marine Corps personnel killed in World War II
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The coveted award was presented to the hero's father by
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United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers
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United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients
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for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
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US Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient (1920–1945)
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later Ada Chapel Baptist Church, Woodstock, Alabama
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526:List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
320:in April 1943, he was transferred to Company A,
96:initially 4th Marine Division Cemetery, Iwo Jima
566:, History Division, United States Marine Corps"
365:On February 21, 1945, two days after D-Day on
650:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
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234:(August 1, 1920 – February 27, 1945) was a
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381:Immediately brought under fire from a
35:Ross F. Gray, Medal of Honor recipient
655:United States Marine Corps reservists
562:"Sergeant Ross Franklin Gray, USMCR,
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276:He went to work for his father as a
246:– the highest military honor of the
551:from websites or documents of the
445:UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
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564:Who's Who in Marine Corps History
521:List of Medal of Honor recipients
630:People from Bibb County, Alabama
547: This article incorporates
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250:– for his heroic service in the
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436:President of the United States
308:, and in September joined the
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495:was named for Sergeant Gray.
304:, South Carolina, he went to
473:United States Naval Service
162:1st Battalion, 25th Marines
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553:United States Marine Corps
409:Rear Admiral A. S. Merrill
386:another enemy stronghold.
335:where he took part in the
322:1st Battalion 25th Marines
128:United States Marine Corps
586:"Medal of Honor citation"
306:New River, North Carolina
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350:, also in the Marianas.
108:United States of America
665:Christians from Alabama
430:Medal of Honor citation
549:public domain material
62:Marvel Valley, Alabama
442:SERGEANT ROSS F. GRAY
419:, on April 16, 1946.
134:Years of service
660:American Protestants
479:/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN
292:Marine Corps service
282:Marine Corps Reserve
236:United States Marine
572:on February 4, 2012
318:private first class
314:4th Marine Division
183:Battle of Kwajalein
166:4th Marine Division
645:Battle of Iwo Jima
424:Woodstock, Alabama
413:United States Navy
252:Battle of Iwo Jima
232:Ross Franklin Gray
198:Battle of Iwo Jima
23:Ross Franklin Gray
483:Other recognition
324:, a month later.
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71:February 27, 1945
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592:on July 14, 2007
588:. Archived from
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568:. Archived from
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513:Biography portal
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333:Marshall Islands
298:recruit training
262:six days later.
260:killed in action
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193:Battle of Tinian
188:Battle of Saipan
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316:. Promoted to
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75:(aged 24)
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594:. Retrieved
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310:23rd Marines
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256:World War II
240:posthumously
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223:Purple Heart
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177:World War II
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172:Battles/wars
73:(1945-02-27)
44:"The Deacon"
620:1945 deaths
615:1920 births
460:machine-gun
383:machine gun
269:Early years
160:Company A,
41:Nickname(s)
609:Categories
596:October 5,
576:October 5,
537:References
469:ammunition
455:mined area
359:Booby Trap
286:Protestant
104:Allegiance
55:1920-08-01
489:USS
467:gear and
337:Roi-Namur
329:Kwajalein
278:carpenter
230:Sergeant
137:1942–1945
499:See also
465:ordnance
367:Iwo Jima
340:campaign
151:Sergeant
114:Service/
78:Iwo Jima
331:in the
254:during
204:†
344:Saipan
220:(1945)
214:Awards
200:
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116:branch
92:Buried
598:2010
578:2010
491:Gray
434:The
357:and
355:Mine
238:who
157:Unit
142:Rank
68:Died
49:Born
300:at
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
