Near Pulaski in Pulaski County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell
Medal of Honor Recipient
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023
1. Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell Marker
Corporal Lewis Kenneth Brusell was born in Pulaski, Virginia on April 17, 1924. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17 following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Corporal Bausell served with the 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division during the Guadalcanal Campaign, Battle of Cape Gloucester, and the Battle of Peleliu. On September 15, 1944, during the Battle of Peleliu, Corporal Bausell heroically threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of his fellow Marines. He died from his wounds on September 18, 1944 and was buried at sea. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 11, 1945. Other honors bestowed upon Corporal Bausell were the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, four Bronze Stars, and the World War II Victory Medal. The USS Bausell, a destroyer warship named in his honor, was christened on November 19, 1945 and served the US Navy during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
The entrance to Pulaski County Middle School, Medal of Honor Way, is named in recognition of Corporal Bausell's ultimate sacrifice for the cause of liberty and idea of freedom that will forever define the United States of America.
Erected 2022 by Pulaski County Schools.
Topics and series.
this page online
Location. 37° 5.674′ N, 80° 44.177′ W. Memorial is near Pulaski, Virginia, in Pulaski County. It is on Medal of Honor Way 0.1 miles east of Lee Highway (U.S. 11), on the right when traveling east. Marker is on the entrance road to Pulaski County Middle School. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 4396 Lee Hwy, Pulaski VA 24301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Southwest Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Highlands, and in the New River Gorge. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: World War II Home Front (approx. 2.8 miles away); Newbern Christian Church (approx. 2.8 miles away); The First Court held in Pulaski County (approx. 2.9 miles away); First Court House (approx. 2.9 miles away); Water Works 1870 (approx. 2.9 miles away); New Dublin Presbyterian Church (approx. 3 miles away); Dublin Presbyterian Church (approx. 3 miles away); Battle of Cloyd's Mountain (approx. 3.3 miles away).
Regarding Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell. He was the only enlisted Marine from Washington, D.C. to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II.
via Marine Corps University, unknown
2. Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell USMC (deceased)
Marine Corps University website entry
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023
3. Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell Marker
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 17, 2023
4. Street sign honoring Corp. Bausell
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 377 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 14, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on September 8, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on July 14, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
