Purple Heart Recipient John Harlan Willis: American Badass
World War 2 is known among military enthusiasts as “that one time everybody became total badasses and fought the frickin’ Nazis.” A number of noteworthy names are recorded in the history books, but since this is Navy Crow, we’re going to focus on one particular sailor that exceeded the call of badassery by a significant margin and gave the Japanese a reason to give up a very, very important island.
That sailor’s name is Petty Officer First Class John Harlan Willis.
Having joined the Navy in 1940, Pharmacist’s Mate 1st Class Willis was well aware of what he was getting into. In 1943, he transferred to 3rd Battalion, 27th Marine Detachment, holding the distinction of serving as a corpsman in a rifle platoon, which by itself is a significant mark of badassery.
On February 19, 1945, Willis joined the immortal battle for Iwo Jima. Nine days later, Willis was wounded by shrapnel and ordered back to the battle-aid station, a nice, cozy corner of hell set aside to treat severely-wounded marines and sailors in relative (very, very relative) safety.
Petty Officer Willis disobeyed the order, returning to the battle area to treat wounded marines. It was at this time that he found himself and his wounded marines surrounded by the Japanese, who began to lob grenades at his position.
Willis, who ain’t about that sh*t, decided that those grenades should go back to their owners. He threw one back at the Japanese, saving himself and his marines. He threw back two. Three. Four.
All in all, the glorious, ballsy son of a gun threw back eight grenades.
Luck was with him that day, but unfortunately, luck only goes so far, and the ninth grenade went off in his hand, killing him instantly. For his actions, Petty Officer Willis was awarded the Purple Heart and, soon after, the Medal of Honor.
At Navy Crow, we want to celebrate our sailor’s sacrifices with Purple Heart month. Buy the Purple Heart t-shirt to celebrate your, your friend’s, or your loved one’s dedication to this nation and allow them to be recognized!
