Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Pfc. Harold Gonsalves

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By Katie Lange,U.S. Department of Defense

Artillery battalions were rarely on the front lines of the battle during World War II, but cannon units often found themselves in line with the infantrymen directly facing the enemy. Marine Corps Pfc. Harold Gonsalves lost his life on the front line of the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific, but in doing so, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Gonsalves was born in January 1926 in Alameda, California. He was an active high school student who played sports and sang in the glee club, but he dropped out after two-and-a-half years to start working.

By the time he was 17, the war was well underway. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1943 and quickly became an active-duty cannoneer. By March 1944, Gonsalves was with the 22nd Marines, taking part in successful Pacific theater campaigns, such as the Marshall Islands and the liberation of Guam.

Toward the end of 1943, Gonsalves was reassigned to the 4th Battalion, 15th Marines, 6th Marine Division. It was with this unit that he landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945.

The Battle of Okinawa was the last major amphibious assault of World War II, with the mission being for the Allies to take control of the island. Doing so would clear a path for the final invasion of Japan.