The decision to have the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for the late Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi continues to be controversial. The same certainly can't be said of the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer named to honor Medal of Honor winner John Basilone.

The sea service accepted delivery of the warship on July 8, and this coming Saturday USS John Basilone (DDG-122) will be officially commissioned at a ceremony in New York City.

"The ship honors United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. He was killed in action during the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone is the only enlisted Marine to be honored with both the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor," the U.S. Navy explained.

The Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will serve in a multi-mission surface combatant capacity – able to conduct Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW). In March, the future USS John Basilone transited the Kennebec River from the Bath Iron Works facility to the Atlantic Ocean and completed four days of at-sea trails.

DDG-122 will be the second warship named to honor Basilone, following the Gearing-class destroyer USS Basilone (DD-824), which was commissioned in 1949 and served with the U.S. Navy until it was decommissioned in 1977­earning three battle stars for service during the Vietnam War.

Already Flying a Battle Flag

Although the future USS John Basilone hasn't officially been commissioned, photos shared by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and posted on X last week showed the warship flying a battle flag as the warship departed Maine.

The flag features the official unit crest, which is noted for including crossed Browning M1917 water-cooled machine guns over a blue diamond – to denote that Basilone served as a machine gunner with the 1st Marine Division. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, he led two machine gun sections of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, and employed the M1917 against a charge of Japanese forces.

His actions, which were depicted in the hit HBO series The Pacific, earned him the Medal of Honor. As noted in the mini-series, Basilone had returned home to a hero's welcome. Instead of receiving the award from President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House – he opted instead to receive it at a small ceremony with his men, stating that only part of this media belongs to me… pieces of it belong to the boys who are still on Guadalcanal."

As Military.com reported, Basilone was offered a commission, but declined, and then requested to return to combat. He was killed in action on February 19, 1945, leading an assault on Iwo Jima. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross­becoming the only enlisted Marine to earn both medals.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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