Joseph W. Ozbourn

Infobox Military Person
name= Joseph William Ozbourn
born= birth date|1919|10|24
died= death date and age|1944|7|30|1919|10|24
placeofbirth= Herrin, Illinois
placeofdeath= KIA on Tinian
placeofburial= National Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii


caption= Joseph W. Ozbourn, Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 1943-1944
rank= Private
commands=
unit= 1st Battalion 23rd Marines
battles= Battle of Tinian
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart
laterwork=Private Joseph William Ozbourn (24 October 1919 – 30 July 1944) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life to save his comrades on Tinian in the Marianas on 30 July 1944.

Biography

Joseph Ozbourn was born in Herrin, Illinois on 24 October 1919. He attended grammar school in Buckner, Illinois, and subsequently became a trip rider in the mines for the Old Ben Coal Corporation in West Frankfurt, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 30 October 1943.

On 30 July 1944, while serving as a Browning Automatic Rifleman serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, during the Battle of Tinian, Private Ozbourn died after hurling himself on a live hand grenade thus saving the lives of four fellow Marines. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Private Ozbourn was initially buried in Tinian, Mariana Islands, but later his remains were reinterred in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
PRIVATE JOSEPH W. OZBOURN UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Browning Automatic Rifleman serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, during the battle for enemy Japanese-held Tinian Island, Marianas Islands, 30 July 1944. As a member of a platoon assigned the mission of clearing the remaining Japanese troops from dugouts and pillboxes along a tree line, Private Ozbourn, flanked by two men on either side, was moving forward to throw an armed hand grenade into a dugout when a terrific blast from the entrance severely wounded the four men and himself. Unable to throw the grenade into the dugout and with no place to hurl it without endangering the other men, Private Ozbourn unhesitatingly grasped it close to his body and fell upon it, sacrificing his own life to absorb the full impact of the explosion but saving his comrades. His great personal valor and unwavering loyalty reflect the highest credit upon Private Ozbourn and the United States Naval service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

/S/ FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

Namesake

The U.S. Navy's Gearing class destroyer USS "Osbourn", named in his honor, was christend by Pvt Ozbourn's widow on 22 December 1945 at the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; and commissioned by Mrs. Ozbourn on 5 March 1946 at the Boston Naval Shipyard.

ee also

References

:Marine Corps
*cite web|url=http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Whos_Who/Ozbourn_JW.htm
title=Private Joseph William Ozbourn, USMC
work=Who's Who in Marine Corps History
publisher=History Division, United States Marine Corps
accessdate=2006-05-23

*cite web
url=http://www.usmc.mil/moh.nsf/000003c919889c0385255f980058f5b6/0000033ba9f47a7385255fa400605edf?OpenDocument |title=Pvt Joseph W. Ozbourn, Medal of Honor, 1944
publisher=Medal of Honor citation
accessdate=2006-05-23

*cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o5/ozbourn.htm
title=Ozbourn
work=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
publisher=Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy
accessdate=2006-05-23

External links

* [http://www.ozbourn.org/ USS Ozbourn (DD-846) Association] . Retrieved 2006-05-23.

Persondata
NAME= Ozbourn, Joseph W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=