John H. Leims

Infobox Military Person
name= John Harold Leims
born= birth date|1921|6|8
died= death date and age|1985|6|28|1921|6|21
placeofbirth= Chicago, Illinois
placeofdeath=
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption= Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Marine Corps
serviceyears= 1942-1962
rank= Captain
commands=
unit= 1st Battalion, 9th Marines
battles= World War II *Battle of Iwo Jima
awards= Medal of Honor Purple Heart
laterwork=
Captain John Harold Leims (1921-1985) was a Marine who earned the Medal of Honor as a second lieutenant on Iwo Jima for his heroic actions on March 7, 1945.

Early years

John Harold Leims was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 8, 1921. He attended St. Hilary Parochial School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, and graduated from Saint George High School in Evanston, Illinois, in 1939. At Saint George's, he played varsity football and track, was sports editor of the school paper, and was an Assistant Scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America.

After high school, he attended Northwestern University for two and a half years, and worked part-time at the Commonwealth Edison Company. He left college in 1941 following his marriage, and worked subsequently for the Standard Oil Company; the Paschen Construction Company; the Naval Station at Great Lakes, Illinois, and the Austin Construction Company.

Marine Corps service

Enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve on November 27, 1942, he completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and was assigned to the 3rd Service Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He left for overseas duty with that unit, on February 23, 1943. After four months in New Zealand and two months at Guadalcanal, he was selected for officer training and returned to the United States in September 1943. He was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant on March 1, 1944, at Quantico, Virginia.

On June 29, 1944, 2dLt Leims went overseas again and rejoined the 3rd Marine Division. This time, he was a company officer in a rifle company of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. In October and November, he was actively engaged in patrolling against Japanese holdouts on Guam.

Landing on Iwo Jima on February 24, 1945, he was slightly wounded by a shell fragment on February 27, but returned to duty on the same day. On March 3, due to heavy casualties, he became company commander, a position usually filled by a captain. On March 7, he led his company in a surprise attack against a strongly fortified enemy hill position, succeeded in capturing the objective, and in spite of withering fire returned forward to rescue two of his wounded men.

Promoted to first lieutenant on June 1, 1945, he returned to the United States that November and was detached from active duty on January 25, 1946. On June 14, of that year, he was temporarily recalled to active duty to receive the Medal of Honor, presented to him by President Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony.cite web|accessdate=2006-04-26
url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/calendar/main.php?currYear=1946&currMonth=6&currDay=14
title=Friday, June 14, 1946
work=The President's Day
publisher=The Truman Library]

A member of the 9th Reserve District, Leims was subsequently promoted to captain in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1956, and retired on July 1, 1962. He died in June 28, 1985 at the age of 64.

Captain Leims was buried in Section 2, Grave 1133 of Arlington National Cemetery. "John Harold Leims", Arlington National Cemetery Website]

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

SECOND LIEUTENANT JOHN H. LEIMS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVEfor 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 Commanding Officer of Company B, First Battalion, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, on 7 March, 1945. Launching a surprise attack against the rock-imbedded fortifications of a dominating Japanese hill position, Second Lieutenant Leims spurred his company forward with indomitable determination and, skillfully directing his assault platoons against the cave-emplaced enemy troops and heavily fortified pillboxes, succeeded in capturing the objective in the late afternoon. When it became apparent that his assault platoons were cut off in this newly won position, approximately four hundred yards forward of adjacent units and lacked all communication with the command post, he personally advanced and laid telephone lines across the isolating expanse of open, fire-swept terrain. Ordered to withdraw his command after he had joined his forward platoons, he immediately complied, adroitly effecting the withdrawal of his troops without incident. Upon arriving at the rear, he was informed that several casualties had been left at the abandoned ridge position beyond the front lines. Although suffering acutely from strain and exhaustion of battle, he instantly went forward despite darkness and the slashing fury of hostile machine-gun fire, located and carried to safety one seriously wounded Marine and then, running the gauntlet of enemy fire for the third time that night, again made his tortuous way into the bullet-riddled deathtrap and rescued another of his wounded men. A dauntless leader, concerned at all times for the welfare of his men, Second Lieutenant Leims soundly maintained the coordinated strength of his battle-wearied company under extremely difficult conditions and, by his bold tactics, sustained aggressiveness and heroic disregard of all personal danger, contributed essentially to the success of his division's operations against this vital Japanese base. His valiant conduct in the face of fanatic opposition sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps.2dLt John Helms Medal of Honor citation, "Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor."]

/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Iwo Jima

Notes

References

*Marine Corps
*cite web|accessdate=2007-10-25
url=http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/Leims_JH.htm
title=Captain John Harold Leims, USMCR
work=Who's Who in Marine Corps History
publisher=History Division, United States Marine Corps
*cite web|accessdate=
url=http://www.usmc.mil/moh.nsf/000003c919889c0385255f980058f5b6/0000033ba9f47a7385255fa4004aee79?OpenDocument
title= Medal of Honor — 2ndLt John H. Leims (Medal of Honor citation)
work=Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor
publisher=History Division, United States Marine Corps
archivedate=2007-02-21
archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070222174548/http://www.usmc.mil/moh.nsf/000003c919889c0385255f980058f5b6/0000033ba9f47a7385255fa4004aee79?OpenDocument
*cite web|accessdate=2006-04-26
url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jleims.htm
title=John Harold Leims, Captain, United States Marine Corps
publisher=Arlington National Cemetery website

External links

*cite web|accessdate=
url=http://www.medalofhonor.com/JohnLeims.htm
title=World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient , 2nd Lt. John Harold Leims, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
publisher=MedalofHonor.com

Persondata
NAME= Leims, John H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=