The man you're looking at is Gunnery Sgt. Fred W. Stockham. Born in Detroit in 1881, Stockman decided to enlist in the Marines in 1903, and over the span of 15 years, he served in multiple AOs to include China, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. By 1918, Gunny Stockham found himself in the trenches of France with the men of 2/6.
On June 2, 1918, while fighting in Belleau Wood, his unit came under heavy artillery fire, and if explosives weren't bad enough, the Germans also began bombarding the lines with poisonous gas. As the wounded and dead began to litter the battlefield, Stockham noticed a wounded young Marine with his gas mask shot away. Without hesitation, the Gunny rushed to his wounded brother, removed his own mask and placed it on his face; knowing full well the fatal consequences of his actions. Gunny then continued directing and assisting other wounded Marines until he collapsed from the effects of the gas. Thanks to the efforts of his former comrades, one of whom was the Marine whose life his gas mask saved, Gunnery Sgt. Stockham was belatedly and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by an Act of Congress on December 21, 1939, over 20 years after his sacrifice. #hero #stayzero #marines #leader #example #fuckyougas