Anthony P. Damato (1922–1944)

A Shenandoah Marine who gave his life to save two comrades on Eniwetok — the Coal Region’s defining World War II act of valor. Markers: ★ verified · ✔ confirmed · ✎ corrects a common error · ⚑ open/caution.

Anthony P. Damato earned a posthumous Medal of Honor on the night of February 19–20, 1944, when he threw himself on an enemy grenade to save two fellow Marines during the fighting on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands. ★ He was killed instantly; the two men in the foxhole with him survived. ★

A corporal in the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines, Damato was born in Shenandoah in 1922 and was killed at the age of twenty-one. ★ His Medal of Honor was presented to his mother on April 9, 1945, in his hometown of Shenandoah. ✔ The U.S. Navy later named the destroyer USS Damato (DD-871) for him. ★

He is named on the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial in Pottsville among Schuylkill County’s recipients. ★

Honored on: Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial.

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Sources

• Congressional Medal of Honor Society — Anthony P. Damato
  License: reference

  Authoritative Medal of Honor recipient roster; facts here are summarized from the listed sources, not reproduced.

• Naval History and Heritage Command — Damato, Anthony P. (U.S. Navy photograph record)
  License: public-domain
• Marine Corps History Division — Cpl Anthony Peter Damato
  License: public-domain
• Wikipedia: Anthony P. Damato
  License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

  Supplemental source for the destroyer USS Damato (DD-871) being named in his honor.

• Wikidata: Anthony P. Damato (Q4773234)
  License: CC0

Frequently asked

What did Anthony P. Damato do to earn the Medal of Honor?

On the night of February 19–20, 1944, on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands, an enemy soldier threw a grenade into the foxhole Damato shared with two fellow Marines. Damato threw himself on the grenade, absorbing the blast and saving the other two men at the cost of his life. The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously.

Was a Navy ship named after Anthony Damato?

Yes. The destroyer USS Damato (DD-871) was named in his honor. His Medal of Honor was presented to his mother on April 9, 1945, in Shenandoah, his hometown.