Douglas T Jacobson
| Douglas T. Jacobson | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1925 Rochester, New York |
| Died | August 20, 2000 Port Charlotte, Florida |
| Status | Survived |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
| Years of service | 1943–1967 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Service number | |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division |
| Commands held | |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Iwo Jima |
| Awards | Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal |
| Relations | |
| Later work | Career Marine officer, retired as Major in 1967; later worked in real estate |
Douglas Thomas Jacobson (November 25, 1925 – August 20, 2000) was a United States Marine who received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest decoration for valor, for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Born in Rochester, New York, Jacobson enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve at age 17 in 1943 and served in the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima campaigns.
Medal of Honor
[edit]On February 26, 1945, on Hill 382 at Iwo Jima, Jacobson took over a fallen bazooka man's weapon and single-handedly destroyed 16 enemy positions and killed approximately 75 Japanese soldiers. President Truman presented him the Medal of Honor in October 1945. He remained in the Marine Corps over a long career, ultimately reaching the rank of Major before retiring in 1967.
Citation
[edit]For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Third Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division, in combat against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, February 26, 1945. Promptly destroying a stubborn 20-mm. antiaircraft gun and its crew after assuming the duties of a bazooka man who had been killed, Private First Class Jacobson waged a relentless battle as his unit fought desperately toward the summit of Hill 382 in an effort to penetrate the heart of Japanese cross-island defenses. Employing his weapon with ready accuracy when his platoon was halted by overwhelming enemy fire on February 26, he first destroyed two hostile machine-gun positions, then attacked a large blockhouse, completely neutralizing the fortification before dispatching the five-man crew of a pillbox and exploding the installation with a terrific demolitions blast. Moving steadily forward, he wiped out an earth-covered rifle emplacement and, confronted by a cluster of similar emplacements which constituted the perimeter of enemy defenses in his assigned sector, fearlessly advanced, quickly reduced all six positions to a shambles, killed ten of the enemy and enabled our forces to occupy the strong point. Determined to widen the breach thus forced, he volunteered his services to an adjacent assault company, neutralized a pillbox holding up its advance, opened fire on a Japanese tank pouring a steady stream of bullets on one of our supporting tanks and smashed the enemy tank's gun turret in a brief but furious action culminating in a single-handed assault against still another blockhouse and the subsequent neutralization of its firepower. By his dauntless skill and valor, Private First Class Jacobson destroyed a total of sixteen enemy positions and annihilated approximately seventy-five Japanese, thereby contributing essentially to the success of his division's operations against the fanatically defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His gallant conduct in the face of tremendous odds enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.