Stein, Tony
Corporal Tony Stein, USMCR, (1921-1945)
Tony Stein was born on 30 September 1921 in Dayton, Ohio. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve from that state in September 1942. As a member of Company A, First Battalion, Twenty-eighth Marines, Fifth Marine Division, he landed on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945. Immediately after coming ashore, when his platoon was halted by Japanese fire, Stein single-handedly charged a series of enemy pillboxes, deliberately exposed himself to draw fire and several times helped wounded comrades to safety as he returned to the beach for more ammunition to continue his assaults. As the battle raged on, he helped destroy a stubborn pillbox and later in the day covered the withdrawal of his platoon.
On 1 March 1945, following days of intense combat on Iwo Jima, Corporal Stein was killed in action while attempting to locate enemy machine gun emplacements that were holding up his company's advance. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life" during the 19 February actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Tony Stein is buried at Calvary Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
