On February 19, 1945, during the brutal invasion of Iwo Jima, U.S. Marine Corporal Tony Stein was the first man from his unit to hit the beach. Armed with a custom-made machine gun he called “Stinger,” Stein unleashed accurate and relentless fire so his fellow Marines could advance under cover.

When his platoon was pinned down by intense enemy fire, Stein stood tall—literally—exposing himself to draw fire and identify enemy pillboxes. He then charged the enemy alone, wiping out 20 Japanese soldiers in a series of close-range assaults. When his ammo ran low, he sprinted back and forth through relentless fire eight times to resupply—each time carrying or aiding wounded Marines on the return.

Even after his weapon was shot out of his hands, he refused to leave the fight, covering his platoon's withdrawal and directing fire on stubborn Japanese defenses.

After being wounded and evacuated to a hospital ship, Stein heard his unit was taking heavy casualties. Ignoring medical advice, he returned to the front. On March 1, 1945, while leading a patrol to silence a deadly enemy machine-gun position, Corporal Tony Stein was killed by a sniper.

For his extraordinary heroism on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, Tony Stein was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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