WEBVTT 01:26.029 --> 01:28.251 John Basilone is one of the more iconic 01:28.251 --> 01:30.790 figures of World War Two . He is a 01:30.800 --> 01:32.911 medal of honor recipient , one of the 01:32.911 --> 01:35.022 earlier medal of honor recipients and 01:35.022 --> 01:37.133 he becomes a stateside celebrity when 01:37.133 --> 01:39.244 he returns to the United States . And 01:39.244 --> 01:41.467 then has that honor of returning to the 01:41.467 --> 01:43.689 war in the Pacific and uh receiving the 01:43.689 --> 01:45.800 navy cross posthumously at the battle 01:45.800 --> 01:48.019 of Iwo . Jima Guadalcanal would prove 01:48.029 --> 01:50.339 to be the first major uh engagement and 01:50.349 --> 01:52.360 land battle in the Pacific . It was 01:52.370 --> 01:54.949 critical to American victory . If we 01:54.959 --> 01:57.181 had lost the battle of Guadalcanal , we 01:57.181 --> 01:59.292 very easily could have lost the war . 01:59.739 --> 02:01.961 The most impressive thing about Bazel's 02:01.961 --> 02:03.906 actions . It was he sort of single 02:03.906 --> 02:05.739 handedly holds off this Japanese 02:05.739 --> 02:08.072 regiment . By the end of the three days , 02:08.072 --> 02:10.080 they counted 38 bodies in front of 02:10.600 --> 02:12.960 Bazel's machine gun in placement . He 02:12.970 --> 02:14.803 eventually moved his machine gun 02:14.803 --> 02:17.137 because the bodies were stacked so high . 02:17.137 --> 02:19.192 He couldn't maintain a queer field , 02:19.192 --> 02:21.359 the fire . I think it's important when 02:21.359 --> 02:23.526 you look at anybody from the World War 02:23.526 --> 02:25.581 I I generation , the common theme of 02:25.581 --> 02:25.339 the greatest generation as they've been 02:25.350 --> 02:27.839 called is the common man , the humility 02:27.850 --> 02:30.559 and balo you know , is very typical of 02:30.570 --> 02:33.589 that personality . We're in a good 02:33.600 --> 02:35.767 outfit with good men . I just happened 02:35.767 --> 02:37.933 to be there and anyone would have done 02:37.933 --> 02:40.940 the same in my place . He felt this is 02:40.949 --> 02:43.710 where he belonged . There's a , uh , a 02:43.830 --> 02:47.300 feeling of brotherhood that can't be 02:47.309 --> 02:49.779 explained as a lot of the men said , 02:49.789 --> 02:52.011 they , they said he was more like a big 02:52.011 --> 02:53.789 brother . He wasn't like a real 02:53.789 --> 02:55.789 sergeant and that's what they loved 02:55.789 --> 02:57.900 about him . And , and I think growing 02:57.900 --> 03:00.011 up in a big family and being close to 03:00.011 --> 03:02.289 his brothers and of course his sisters , 03:02.289 --> 03:04.400 maybe that's what inspired him to act 03:04.410 --> 03:06.354 like a big brother rather than the 03:06.354 --> 03:09.309 drill sergeant . I think my uncle was 03:09.320 --> 03:12.729 just a neighborhood guy who came from a 03:12.740 --> 03:15.570 big family , didn't have a lot of money . 03:15.869 --> 03:17.860 He did it himself . It was his own 03:17.869 --> 03:21.669 inspiration . I think he really knew he 03:21.679 --> 03:23.790 was meant to do something different . 03:28.020 --> 03:30.169 We have massive shoulders to stand on 03:30.309 --> 03:32.531 and a legacy to uphold day in day out . 03:32.531 --> 03:34.753 Being that John Baslow was attached out 03:34.753 --> 03:36.865 suicide on that night , every day . I 03:36.865 --> 03:39.087 walk into work with that mindset that I 03:39.087 --> 03:41.309 need to uphold that legacy . And I will 03:41.309 --> 03:40.639 hold that standard with my marines when 03:40.649 --> 03:43.529 we're training the culture . Once a 03:43.669 --> 03:45.699 special , right ? We are all about 03:45.710 --> 03:48.660 honoring our history and legacy from 03:48.669 --> 03:50.836 like those who have come before us and 03:50.836 --> 03:53.080 done great things for the battalion and 03:53.089 --> 03:55.256 for the Marine Corps . You know , hard 03:55.256 --> 03:57.367 work . Trumps all in first town south 03:57.367 --> 04:01.029 of Marines . We're a family 04:01.039 --> 04:02.872 and like , we do a lot of things 04:02.872 --> 04:04.928 together , being in the Marine Corps 04:04.928 --> 04:07.150 and like being away from your family at 04:07.150 --> 04:09.317 home , you kind of adopt these guys as 04:09.317 --> 04:08.860 like your brothers and sisters are part 04:08.869 --> 04:11.091 of your unit . You see it a lot with uh 04:11.091 --> 04:13.202 Victor 17 , especially in like animal 04:13.202 --> 04:15.313 company . We have like the first team 04:15.313 --> 04:17.480 motto and that's like the first team , 04:17.480 --> 04:19.813 first family , like same , same and one , 04:19.813 --> 04:21.980 we do everything together and we'll do 04:21.980 --> 04:25.230 it always the experience of coming out 04:25.239 --> 04:27.950 here to Raritan and you know , meeting 04:27.959 --> 04:29.737 the Basso family and the parade 04:29.737 --> 04:31.737 committee and , and being a part of 04:31.737 --> 04:34.000 such a historic event for , you know , 04:34.010 --> 04:36.929 somebody who we all call in 17 a hero 04:37.100 --> 04:39.211 and somebody we need to live up to is 04:39.211 --> 04:42.070 has been unmatched . John Bass is a God 04:42.079 --> 04:44.540 amongst men . His name will never be 04:44.549 --> 04:46.989 erased from Marine Corps history . And 04:47.000 --> 04:47.750 in this town 04:52.109 --> 04:54.149 growing up here , you are just so 04:54.160 --> 04:56.579 familiar with John Maslow and his story . 04:56.839 --> 04:59.269 Um And so a lot of our events get , you 04:59.279 --> 05:01.390 know , the local community out here , 05:01.390 --> 05:03.223 they definitely want to come and 05:03.223 --> 05:05.335 support and um it's great to see . We 05:05.335 --> 05:07.501 have the five K on the Saturday and it 05:07.501 --> 05:09.612 just grows every year , parades a lot 05:09.612 --> 05:11.668 of work , but people are so happy to 05:11.668 --> 05:13.835 come out and put in that work and it's 05:13.835 --> 05:15.946 like our holiday . It's like our town 05:15.946 --> 05:18.057 holiday . It really is . It's just so 05:18.057 --> 05:20.335 beautiful to see the streets grow more . 05:20.440 --> 05:22.607 And the Children out there and they're 05:22.607 --> 05:25.170 waving their flags and it's a great 05:25.179 --> 05:28.859 feeling . It really is . Our main 05:28.869 --> 05:31.769 objective is , is to keep my uncle's 05:31.779 --> 05:35.350 spirit alive . We were told that the 05:35.359 --> 05:37.359 marines when they go to boot camp , 05:37.359 --> 05:40.910 they learn about him . So I believe 05:40.920 --> 05:43.829 that because of his story , because of 05:43.839 --> 05:47.380 what he has done , people just want to 05:47.390 --> 05:49.510 keep it going and let everybody know 05:49.519 --> 05:52.480 like why we are here , why we do have 05:52.489 --> 05:53.489 our freedom 05:59.679 --> 06:03.109 a privilege . The name DDG 06:03.119 --> 06:05.839 122 us . Si 06:09.230 --> 06:10.230 ok . 06:18.049 --> 06:20.980 The destroyer can add a lot to , to the 06:20.989 --> 06:23.339 Ambu ready group . Um whether it's 06:23.910 --> 06:26.132 duties , you know , just being there as 06:26.132 --> 06:27.966 extra protection to , to protect 06:27.966 --> 06:30.188 shipping while they're in transit . And 06:30.188 --> 06:32.188 certainly once you get close to the 06:32.188 --> 06:32.070 beach and you're trying to do a landing , 06:32.079 --> 06:33.801 um providing fire support , it 06:33.801 --> 06:36.190 definitely is a uh it's an enabler that 06:36.200 --> 06:38.311 helps get the , you know , the weapon 06:38.311 --> 06:40.256 of the yard , which is the marines 06:40.256 --> 06:42.422 getting them to the beach , you know . 06:42.422 --> 06:44.644 So when you can incorporate a destroyer 06:44.644 --> 06:44.260 in there , just provide that extra 06:44.269 --> 06:46.269 level of protection and lethality . 06:47.709 --> 06:50.329 When something is named after a person , 06:50.339 --> 06:52.609 it's a way to let their memory live on 06:52.779 --> 06:54.989 selfless warriors is our call sign . I 06:55.000 --> 06:57.290 wanted something that again would 06:57.299 --> 06:59.709 resonate with the crew that would give 06:59.720 --> 07:01.859 us our own identity of who we are , 07:01.869 --> 07:03.758 what we're all about . But I also 07:03.758 --> 07:06.109 wanted something that , that also spoke 07:06.119 --> 07:08.739 to who John Basso was . You know , he 07:08.750 --> 07:11.019 didn't , he didn't have to go back . He 07:11.029 --> 07:13.140 could have stayed in the US and had a 07:13.140 --> 07:15.307 pretty sweet life moving forward after 07:15.307 --> 07:18.059 Guadalcanal and he asked and asked and 07:18.070 --> 07:20.292 asked and they sent him back and he was 07:20.292 --> 07:22.348 training marines getting ready for , 07:22.348 --> 07:24.459 you know , for the assault , which he 07:24.459 --> 07:26.459 later found was the assault . Eddie 07:26.459 --> 07:30.239 Wajima , that example of 07:30.250 --> 07:32.417 selflessness , the concept of selfless 07:32.417 --> 07:34.359 service and sacrifice . And so I 07:34.369 --> 07:36.591 thought that that was a good way to not 07:36.591 --> 07:38.660 only honor our , our namesake , but 07:38.670 --> 07:40.670 also to honor our sponsors . And it 07:40.670 --> 07:42.726 just kind of , it brought everything 07:42.726 --> 07:44.781 together and then definitely gave an 07:44.781 --> 07:47.059 identity for the ship and for the crew , 07:47.059 --> 07:46.739 that's one of the challenges of 07:46.750 --> 07:49.500 leadership that we have is is helping 07:49.510 --> 07:51.820 connect the crew to the namesake . 08:00.899 --> 08:03.066 I think when your crew is connected to 08:03.066 --> 08:05.121 the namesake , it gives you a common 08:05.121 --> 08:07.121 identity . It's one thing for me to 08:07.121 --> 08:09.343 have that . But it's another thing when 08:09.343 --> 08:11.621 I see my crew take that same ownership . 08:11.929 --> 08:13.985 And that's one of the amazing things 08:13.985 --> 08:16.207 about the job blon crew is , you know , 08:16.207 --> 08:18.540 as you get a chance to get to know them , 08:18.540 --> 08:20.707 you will see a group of sailors that , 08:20.707 --> 08:22.929 that owns their mission . Everything we 08:22.929 --> 08:25.470 do here is about training , it's about 08:25.480 --> 08:27.702 getting us ready to sail down the river 08:27.702 --> 08:29.924 and join the fleet . It's about getting 08:29.924 --> 08:31.980 us ready to operate and maintain our 08:31.980 --> 08:34.429 equipment and eventually it's getting 08:34.440 --> 08:37.099 us ready to operate our combat system 08:37.429 --> 08:39.540 and be able to take this ship forward 08:39.540 --> 08:41.762 as a weapon system of the United States 08:41.762 --> 08:41.260 Navy . 08:50.710 --> 08:52.900 I think marines are always bonded by 08:52.909 --> 08:55.020 the simple fact that they're marine , 08:55.020 --> 08:57.298 the weapons , the vehicles , the ships , 08:57.298 --> 08:59.530 they all change over time . But that 08:59.539 --> 09:01.770 aspect of being a marine wearing that 09:01.780 --> 09:03.947 dress blue uniform , wearing the eagle 09:03.947 --> 09:06.549 Globe and anchor never changes . The 09:06.559 --> 09:08.789 times change . The battles change , the 09:08.799 --> 09:10.820 enemy may change . But the marines 09:10.830 --> 09:11.770 don't change .