{"id":74563,"date":"2026-02-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:58:01","slug":"the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","title":{"rendered":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It had been one week since roughly 60,000 service members rushed ashore the sulfurous outcropping that was Iwo Jima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the island being barely 10 square miles in area, \u201cassault troops,\u201d writes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.navy.mil\/browse-by-topic\/wars-conflicts-and-operations\/world-war-ii\/1945\/battle-of-iwo-jima.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.history.navy.mil\/browse-by-topic\/wars-conflicts-and-operations\/world-war-ii\/1945\/battle-of-iwo-jima.html\">Naval History and Heritage Command<\/a>, \u201cwere to be subjected to a step-by-step battle of attrition, slowly progressing from one well-defended killing zone to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American air superiority by this late state of the war left the Japanese ground forces virtually unprotected, forcing them into the earth. On Iwo, a system of mutually supported network of caves, tunnels, concrete pillboxes and fortified strongpoints and artillery positions allowed for the dug in enemy to simply await the Americans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The honeycombed defensive positions often meant that naval support and Army air power were negligible, meaning that \u201csmall teams of Marines \u2014 or even individuals \u2014 armed with flame throwers, satchel charges and hand grenades (\u201cblow torches and corkscrews\u201d) were those who were instrumental in destroying Japanese strongpoints,\u201d writes the NHHC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was within these conditions that Pvt. Wilson \u201cDoug\u201d Watson found himself in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 23-year-old son of an Arkansan sharecropper was an automatic rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He had already seen combat on Bougainville in November 1943 and on Guam in the summer of 1944 before Watson and his men were slated to invade Iwo Jima beginning on Feb. 24, 1945. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beginning on Feb. 26, Watson and his unit were charged with assaulting a line of fortified bluffs extending north from the western end of Motoyama Airfield No. 2. To reach them, the Marines would have to cross the open runway \u2014 and through the killing zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Ninth faced a heavy curtain of small-arms fire from exceptionally well-concealed positions \u2014 so well-concealed, in fact, that the men were unable to locate the source of the fire from within 25 yards of the emplacements,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=9XrTCwAAQBAJ&amp;dq=%22wilson+douglas+watson%22&amp;pg=PA153#v=onepage&amp;q=%22wilson%20douglas%20watson%22&amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=9XrTCwAAQBAJ&amp;dq=%22wilson+douglas+watson%22&amp;pg=PA153#v=onepage&amp;q=%22wilson%20douglas%20watson%22&amp;f=false\">the regimental historian later reported.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon reaching the bluffs, the Marine attack deteriorated into what one witness described in James H. Hallas\u2019s book \u201cUncommon Valor on Iwo Jima\u201d as \u201crock fighting \u2014 fierce localized struggles for mounds of tumbled boulders, for 100-foot, craggy ridges, for sharp chasms and twisting gullies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the 27th, Watson and his Marines, still pinned down by enemy, struggled to advance more than 15 yards. Casualties began to mount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was then that Watson, half running, half crawling, \u201cboldly rushed one pillbox and fired into the embrasure with his weapon, keeping the enemy pinned down singlehandedly until he was in a position to hurl in a grenade and then running to the rear of the emplacement to destroy the retreating Japanese and enable his platoon to take its objective,\u201d according to his Medal of Honor citation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAgain pinned down at the foot of a small hill, he dauntlessly scaled the jagged incline under fierce mortar and machine-gun barrages and, with his assistant BAR man, charged the crest of the hill, firing from his hip. Fighting furiously against Japanese troops attacking with grenades and knee mortars from the reverse slope, he stood fearlessly erect in his exposed position to cover the hostile entrenchments and held the hill under savage fire for 15 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In just a quarter of an hour, Watson managed to kill 60 Japanese, earning the moniker the \u201cOne-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Medically evacuated on March 2 after suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck, Watson was among the 14 men \u2014 11 Marines and three Navy service members \u2014 to be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman on Oct. 5, 1945.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBattle fatigue,\u201d according to an Oct. 6, 1945, <a href=\"https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1945\/10\/06\/95795270.html?pageNumber=5\" rel=\"\">New York Times article<\/a>, \u201cwas still visible on the faces of some of the Marine guard of honor, many of whom had recently returned to this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Discharged from the Marine Corps the following year, Watson enlisted in the U.S. Army working as a mess hall cook and ultimately attaining the rank of staff sergeant. In 1963, however, Watson was charged with desertion after going AWOL from Fort Rucker, Alabama, for four months beginning in October 1962.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe told me he just got tired of it all,\u201d according to a friend of Watson\u2019s who was interviewed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/1171610007\/?match=1&amp;terms=Wilson%20%22Doug%22%20Watson%20Medal%20of%20Honor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/1171610007\/?match=1&amp;terms=Wilson%20%22Doug%22%20Watson%20Medal%20of%20Honor\">Baker City Herald in February 1963<\/a>. \u201cHe said they [the Army] had got his record all messed up. He got teed off, got in his car and drove off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The charges were eventually dropped and the Marine-turned-soldier retired in 1966. He died on Dec. 19, 1994, and is buried at Russell Cemetery in Ozone, Arkansas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":91,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,91,12,25,19,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3376],"class_list":["post-74563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-history","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"L4AL4KHCG5DQVNOY5IPD7SEXEE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019 - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 738,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Military History\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Veterans\",\n\t                \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019 - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19\\\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Military History\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/veterans\\\/military-history\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"military-history\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019 - Marine Corps Times","description":"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019","og_description":"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00","author":"Claire Barrett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire Barrett","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019","datePublished":"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/"},"wordCount":738,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Military History","News","Newsletters","Veterans","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/","name":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019 - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png","datePublished":"2026-02-19T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T16:58:01+00:00","description":"Pinned down and with casualties mounting, Pvt. Wilson Watson took matters into his own hands to savagely take out enemy entrenchments.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2026\/02\/19\/the-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-became-a-one-man-regiment-of-iwo-jima\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Military History","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/","ad_zone":"military-history"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Medal of Honor recipient who became a \u2018One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Untitled-design-27.png-27.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74567,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74563\/revisions\/74567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74563"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=74563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}