The Pacific/Awesome
- The Battle of the Tenaru River/Battle of Alligator Creek qualifies as this.
- Basilone holding the line by using a 33-pound crew served machine gun as a personal weapon to hold off a Japanese attack in Part 2. Since the gun was designed to be fired with a tripod, he ended up getting second-degree burns on his hand and arm while holding it, since it lacked the grips to be used in this manner and he'd lost the arm-mitten that crews use to insulate the heat while moving the gun.
- What's more, his comrades are just dumbstruck he's holding the line by himself; the only sound of gunfire at that moment is the one from Basilone's machine gun.
- Of course, it's what got him the Medal of Honor.
- Let's keep in mind that the series actually down-played what this guy did to keep the episode from going too long. In Real Life Basilone held his position for THREE DAYS. No food and no sleep.
- This troper nominates Basilones' actions on the first day of Iwo Jima, too.
- Back to The Pacific