Richard Earl Bush (December 23, 1924 – June 7, 2004) was a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

master gunnery sergeant who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

as a corporal for heroism on

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. On April 16, 1945, Cpl. Bush placed himself on a thrown enemy grenade, absorbing the force of the explosion, saving the lives of his fellow Marines and

corpsmen A hospital corpsman (HM r corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS) ...

. In World War II, twenty-seven Marines similarly used their bodies against thrown enemy grenades in order to save their comrades' lives. Four of these Marines survived and were awarded the Medal of Honor — Richard Bush,

Jacklyn H. Lucas Jacklyn Harold "Jack" Lucas (February 14, 1928 – June 5, 2008) was an American United States Marine Corps, Marine in World War II who was awarded the Medal of Honor at the age of 17 years as a private first class in the United States Marine Cor ...

, Carlton R. Rouh, and Richard K. Sorenson.

Early life

Bush was born in Glasgow, Kentucky on December 23, 1924. He worked for his father as a tractor driver on a tobacco farm and completed one year of high school.

World War II

; U.S. Marine Corps He enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

on September 22, 1942, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He received his basic training at the

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and th ...

, California, and later was transferred to a replacement battalion at Camp Elliott, California, for further training as an armorer. ;Marine Raiders He served with the Marine Corps Raiders in the Pacific. While with the "Raiders" he was promoted to corporal. ;Okinawa On April 16, 1945, Corporal Bush, was serving in the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division as a rifle company squad leader when he led his men in a charge against an enemy stronghold during the final assault against Mount Yaetake in northern

. During that action, he was seriously wounded and evacuated to a nearby medical aid area for treatment. While at this position, an enemy grenade was hurled among the navy corpsmen and wounded Marines including himself. He immediately took and placed the grenade under himself saving his comrades lives. He survived the blast with severe wounds, losing several fingers and the sight in one eye.

Post war

;Medal of Honor On October 4, 1945, President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, in a White House ceremony, presented Cpl. Bush with the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." He was also awarded a second Purple Heart Medal (gold

5/16 inch star A inch star (9.7mm) is a miniature gold or silver five-pointed star that is authorized by the United States Armed Forces as a ribbon device to denote subsequent awards for specific decorations of the Department of the Navy, Coast Guard, Public He ...

) for wounds received on Okinawa. ;Veterans counselor In the years following the war, Bush worked for the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

until 1972 as a counselor helping veterans file claims and earned numerous civilian awards for his efforts to aid other veterans despite constant problems with his one functioning eye, a holdover from his World War II wounds. ;Death Bush died of a heart ailment at the age of 79 on June 7, 2004, in Waukegan, Illinois. He is buried at Ascension Catholic Cemetery Libertyville, Illinois. His grave can be found in Section 7, Block 10, Lot 63.

Medal of Honor citation

Military decorations & awards

* Purple Heart Medal with gold

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

* Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze

service star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or se ...

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Richard Earl 1924 births 2004 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients Marine Raiders United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Marine Corps reservists