John William Antonelli (May 30, 1917 – March 26, 1999) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps brigadier general. He was awarded the Navy Cross during the

battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJ ...

in World War II.

Early life and World War II

John W. Antonelli was born on May 30, 1917, in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

. In 1940, he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Marine Corps upon graduating from the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

Marine Raiders

Antonelli was initially assigned to the

1st Battalion, 5th Marines 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. Nicknamed ''Geronimo'', it falls under the ...

. Soon after the United States entered World War II, 1/5 was re-designated as the 1st Separate Battalion in January 1942, and then re-designated again as the

1st Marine Raider Battalion The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare. "Merritt A. Edson, Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine ...

the following month. First Lieutenant Antonelli deployed to Samoa with the 1st Marine Raider Battalion in April. In May, Antonelli was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He then led a raider company during the battles of Tulagi and

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

from August to October 1942. When the Marine Raider Battalions were disbanded in early 1944,

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Antonelli was assigned as the commanding officer of the newly activated 2nd Battalion,

27th Marines The 27th Marine Regiment (27th Marines) is an inactivated infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They fought during the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and again for a short time during the Vietnam War. Subordinate units The reg ...

5th Marine Division The 5th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps ground combat division which was activated on 11 November 1943 (officially activated on 21 January 1944) at Camp Pendleton, California during World War II. The 5th Division saw its first ...

Battle of Iwo Jima

On February 19, 1945, Major Antonelli led his battalion in the amphibious landing on Red Beach One at

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

in the Volcano Islands. On March 9, his battalion became pinned down by heavy enemy fire and was unable to advance. Antonelli moved forward of the front lines to observe the enemy and was wounded. He was evacuated to a field hospital after completing his mission and issuing the orders necessary for his Marines to resume the assault. Despite his wounds, Major Antonell left the field hospital on two occasions to return to his battalion and lead his Marines in further combat. He was later evacuated to a hospital ship on March 16 in order to prevent his wounds from becoming more infected. For his actions during the battle, Major Antonelli was awarded the Navy Cross. In May, Antonelli was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. He later took part in the

occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

after the war ended.

Later career and life

Antonelli later served as the executive officer of the Marine barracks in Boston, Massachusetts, and then became an instructor at the Naval Academy from 1947 to 1950. In 1953, he graduated from the Senior Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. In 1956 he acted as the

technical adviser In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart Nipo T. Stronghear ...

to the film '' The Proud and Profane''. In July 1959, Colonel Antonelli took command of the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission Close with and destroy the enemy by fi ...

1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) is a unit in the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and is the "middleweight" global crisis response force. History The brigade was stationed at Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) from 1956 ...

, at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. While at Kaneohe Bay, his wife, Lillian, served as the president of the Kaneohe Officers' Wives Club. Antonelli held command of the 4th Marines until August 1961, when he was assigned to Headquarters, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. He later attended the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in Washington, D.C., before he was assigned to the

Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

. From January to December 1967, Brigadier General Antonelli implemented a revised long range concept for the Marine Corps while he was the chairman of the long range study program. He then served as the commanding general of Marine Corps Base Quantico from January to September 1968. During his tenure, he oversaw the reorganization of the Marine Corps School into the Marine Corps Development and Education Command. Antonelli was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

once he was relieved of his command and retired on September 30, 1968. John W. Antonelli died on March 26, 1999, in

Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...

. He was buried in Westwood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonelli, John W. 1917 births 1999 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Marine Raiders Military personnel from Massachusetts National War College alumni People from Lawrence, Massachusetts Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Marine Corps generals United States Naval Academy alumni

Early life and World War II

Marine Raiders

Battle of Iwo Jima

Later career and life

See also

References