Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell

Marine Corporal Lewis Kenneth Bausell. Medal of Honor Recipient. , 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.