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| Sgt. Edmund Yanoushek served with these men from the 3rd Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment on Iwo Jima. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49660399/edmund-r-yanoushek http://www.americainwwii.com/galleries/iwo-jima/ |
Edmund Yanoushek never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on July 19, 1918 in Texas. His parents Frank and Annie were both born in Czech speaking Austria. His father worked as a machine shop iron worker and later as a blacksmith. Edmund had an older brother and sister and two younger brothers and four younger sisters. By 1940 Edmund had completed three years of high school and was working as a metal worker while living at home.
He volunteered for the US Marines and rose to the rank of gunnery sergeant in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. The 3rd MD first saw action on Bougainville in November 1943. In July 1944 it landed on Guam and fought to retake the island.
Sgt. Yanoushek and the 21st MR landed on Iwo Jima on February 20, 1945, D+1. Four days later, Sgt. Yanoushek's leadership earned him the Silver Star.
Sgt. Yanoushek's Silver Star citation reads as follows:
During a daring assault on a Japanese-held airfield and the subsequent counterattacks repeatedly launched by the enemy throughout the night, Gunnery Sergeant Yanoushek continually exposed himself to fierce hostile gunfire as he moved from one gun position to another, encouraging the crews, placing the guns, directing the fire and, repairing and frequently manning the guns himself.
His combat skill and aggressive fighting spirit were important factors in the success of his company's operations and reflect the highest credit upon Gunnery Sergeant Yanoushek and the United States Naval Service.
Thank you Sgt. Yanoushek for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Edmund.
Last year on this date I profiled LeRoy Elliott, 37th Infantry Division. You can read about LeRoy here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
On February 28, 1945, Sgt. Yanoushek's battalion followed a rolling artillery barrage to take the town of Motoyama and the high ground over Airport #3. Resistance was heavy and taking ground was costly. Sgt. Yanoushek was one of the Marines killed in action that day. The 3rd MD would lose 1,131 killed and four times as many wounded before the Battle for Iwo Jima ended.
His grave is at Evergreen Cemetery in Rosewood Funeral Home and Cemetery in Humble, Texas.
Last year on this date I profiled LeRoy Elliott, 37th Infantry Division. You can read about LeRoy here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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