Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 30 September 1921, Dayton, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, in the Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. The first man of his unit to be on station after hitting the beach in the initial assault, Cpl. Stein, armed with a personally improvised aircraft-type weapon, provided rapid covering fire as the remainder of his platoon attempted to move into position. When his comrades were stalled by a concentrated machinegun and mortar barrage, he gallantly stood upright and exposed himself to the enemy's view, thereby drawing the hostile fire to his own person and enabling him to observe the location of the furiously blazing hostile guns. Determined to neutralize the strategically placed weapons, he boldly charged the enemy pillboxes 1 by 1 and succeeded in killing 20 of the enemy during the furious single-handed assault. Cool and courageous under the merciless hail of exploding shells and bullets which fell on all sides, he continued to deliver the fire of his skillfully improvised weapon at a tremendous rate of speed which rapidly exhausted his ammunition. Undaunted, he removed his helmet and shoes to expedite his movements and ran back to the beach for additional ammunition, making a total of 8 trips under intense fire and carrying or assisting a wounded man back each time. Despite the unrelenting savagery and confusion of battle, he rendered prompt assistance to his platoon whenever the unit was in position, directing the fire of a half-track against a stubborn pillbox until he had effected the ultimate destruction of the Japanese fortification. Later in the day, although his weapon was twice shot from his hands, he personally covered the withdrawal of his platoon to the company position. Stouthearted and indomitable, Cpl. Stein, by his aggressive initiative sound judgment, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of terrific odds, contributed materially to the fulfillment of his mission, and his outstanding valor throughout the bitter hours of conflict sustains and enhances the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. ²

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Tony Stein.

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An American Legion Post in Dayton, Ohio is named the Tony Stein Post after this hero. https://www.facebook.com/American-Legion-Auxiliary-Tony-Stein-Unit-619-341378925872991/

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Tony Stein, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} United States. Army. Center of Military History. Medal of Honor Recipients.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States).

   "Corp. Tony Stein". Dayton Daily News March 26, 1945 pg. 5, col. 3 Marine, Iwo Jima, not in all editions of the newspaper
   
   "Cpl. Tony Stein". Dayton Daily News April 28, 1945 pg. 6, col. 7 Marine, Fifth division, killed at Iwo Jima on March 1, husband of Joan, of Dayton
   
   "Widow of Marine Hero Receives Award". Dayton Daily News February 20, 1946 pg. 21, col. 3. includes AP wirephoto of ceremony.
   
   Huffman, Dale. "Around Town Trying to Unearth a Mystery. Is there a Time Capsule buried at the Tony Stein War Memorial in North Dayton"?. Dayton Daily News. July 28, 2001. Page: 2B
   
   "Kiser Honors Its Own". Dayton Daily News April 7, 2002 pg. B2, A member of the class of 1939, Cpl. Stein died a hero's death when he served with the U.S. Marines in Iwo Jima during World War II.
   
   "Tony Stein". Dayton Daily News October 20, 2006 pg. A1, a native of Old North Dayton and the first soldier on Iwo Jima to be awarded a Medal of Honor, article on the movie Flags of Our Fathers
   
   Huffman, Dale. "Old North Dayton Festival Honors World War II Hero". Dayton Daily News. 6 Jul 2009. A6. Celebration of Tony Stein's life.
   Burroughs, Virginia. "Kiser a Model for Alumni Groups". 13 Jan 2011. RC5. Tony Stein is on their Honor Roll.
   Burroughs, Virginia. "V-J Day Still Brings Back Fond Memories". Dayton Daily News. 11 August 2011. RC2. John Griffith was friends with Tony Stein.
   
   Gnau, Thomas and Barrie Barber. “A Tale of 3 Heroes - These men gave their all at the dawn, middle and near the end of the Second World War, earning the nation’s highest military honor and securing a place in history”. Dayton Daily News, June 1, 2014
   Page: A1
   
   “Local legends - Five inductees set to be honored Tuesday.People are chosen for their enduring impact on the community”. Focus on the Positive. Dayton Walk of Fame.
   Dayton Daily News. 21 Sep 2014. E1.

4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Mikalauskas, MaryAgnes. Old North Dayton. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio: Neighborhood Leadership Institute)
   211,212.
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Kiser High School. Panther. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio: Kiser High School)
   VII, Issue 2.
6.   ActiveDayton.Com. Bradley, Tina. "History Blooming in 'New' Neighborhood". A mural is going up in Old North Dayton. Published 9 Sep 1999. Accessed 7 Oct 1999. Copyright Cox Media for the Dayton Daily News.

   Mural will include Tony Stein.

7.   Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States)
   page 6, column 7, part 2, 28 Apr 1945.

   Corp. Tony Stein, USMC, Fifth division, was killed March 1 on Iwo Jima, according to Navy department notification given the wife Joan, of 109 Siebenthaler Av., and the mother, Mrs. Theresa Parks, of 304 Alaska St. Corp. Stein had been in service three years and was serving his second stretch overseas. Also surviving is a sister, Mrs. Theresa Svellinger.

8.   United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and 1st session : 1979). Senate United States. Congress (96th. Medal of honor recipients, 1863-1978: in the name of the Congress of the United States. (Washington, DC, United States: U.S. Government Printing Office, 14 February 1979)
   687.

   Entry on Stein, Tony.

9.   Dalton, Curt. Home Sweet Home Front: Dayton during World War II. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio: Curt Dalton, 2000)
   119.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States).

    "Widow of Marine Hero Receives Award". Dayton Daily News February 20, 1946 pg. 21, col. 3. includes AP wirephoto of ceremony.
    
    One year after his display of gallantry and bravery on Iwo Jima, where he lost his life in the battle of Mt. Suribachi, the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Corp. Tony Stein marine paratrooper, 109 W. Seibenthaler av.
    In ceremonies in the office of gov. Frank Lausche in Columbus Tuesday, the widow of Corp. Stein was presented the medal by Admiral F. W. Pennoyer, jr. of the bureau of aeronautics, Wright Field.
    Capt. Robert Johnson of the marine corps was in charge of the ceremonies.
    Landing with the first assault wave of the Fifth division marines, the Dayton man won the medal on the basis of unusual daringness - his use of a personally devised aircraft gun to cover the landing of other members of his platoon, his charge on a row of pill-boxes, his eight trips under heavy fire back to the beach for ammunition, each time assisting a wounded comrade to safety, and his direction of a half-track's victorious assault against fortified positions.
    Wounded, he insisted on returning to action, and was killed March 1, 1945, as he along with 19 men, attempted to clear a ridge of Jap snipers in order that the rest of his outfit could take a vital airstrip at the north end of the island.
    Admiral Pennoyer read the citation of Corp. Stein's gallantry and also a letter from Gen. A. A. Vandergrift, marine corps commandant.
    Son of Mrs. Rose Parks of 304 Alaska st, he was graduated from Kiser high school, and was employed by the Delco Products division, General Motors Corp.

11.   .

    au: Edward A. Bieckmann, Sr. CBN USN (Ret)
    ti:  ?
    publication: Marine Corps Gazette, the official publication of the United States Marine Corps Association.
    date: after 23 Oct 1962. Probably in late 1962 or early 1963.
    su: Corporal Tony Stein.
    Possibly: June 1963, volume 47, issue 6 OR
    Possibly: October 1963, volume 47, issue 10

12.   .

    publication: Leatherneck
    corporate publisher: Marine Corps Association and Foundation
    Leatherneck May 1945 Hot Rock: the Fight for Mt. Suribachi
    Leatherneck October 1946 The Nation's Highest
    Leatherneck March 1965 Iwo Jima
    Leatherneck November 1971 Hot Rock
    Leatherneck September 1976 Spearhead Division
    Leatherneck September 1976 "Giants of the Corps: Fifth Marine Division" Volume 59, Issue 9. author: Herb Richardson
    Leatherneck February 1980 Iwo Jima
    Leatherneck February 1995 World War II: 50 Years Ago: Medals of Honor, Iwo Jima

13.   Dayton Metro Library. Local History Room File. Tony Stein.

    Dayton Metro Library
    215 E. Third St. Dayton, OH 45402
    www.daytonmetrolibrary.org

14. ↑ ^14.0 14.1 .

    U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963
    Record Image VIEW
    Name: Tony Stein
    Birth Date: 30 Sep 1922
    Death Date: 1 Mar 1945
    Cemetery: Calvary Cemetery
    Cemetery Location: Dayton, Ohio
    Source Information
    Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

15.   Http://www.calvarycemeterydayton.org/resources/locate-a-loved-one/.

    Name First Name Age Birth Date Death Date Burial Date Funeral Home Birth Place Place of Death Church Section Block Lot Space Lat/Long
    Stein Tony Corporal 23 9/30/1921 3/1/1945 12/18/1948 Westbrock Dayton, Ohio Our Lady of Rosary 8 X 139 7 39.7233108313, -84.2021079789

16.   .

    World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945
    Record Image VIEW
    Name: Tony Stein
    Relative Name: Mrs. Tony Stein
    Relative Relationship: Wife
    State: Ohio
    Country: United States
    Type of Casualty: Killed In Action
    Roll: ww2c_27
    Source Information
    Ancestry.com. World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

17. ↑ .

    1930 United States Federal Census
    Name: Anthony Stain
    Age in 1930: 8
    Birth Year: 1922
    Gender: Male
    Race: White
    Birthplace: Ohio
    Marital Status: Single
    Relation to Head of House: Son
    Home in 1930: Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio
    Street Address: Kiser Street
    Ward of City: Third pt
    Block: 374
    House Number in Cities or Towns: 31
    Dwelling Number: 331
    Family Number: 341
    Attended School: No
    Father's Birthplace: Yugoslavia
    Mother's Birthplace: Yugoslavia
    Household Members:
    Name Age
    Rosa Stain 39
    Joseph Brandalek 29
    Theresa A Stain 13
    Anthony Stain 8
    Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio; Roll: 1853; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0015; Image: 658.0; FHL microfilm: 2341587