Community Corner

VIDEO: Guadalcanal Veteran, 92, to be Honored by Fellow Marines

Leon Gorsline will be inducted into the Cpl Stanley L. Moore Detachment of the Marine Corps League following Troy's Memorial Day ceremonies.

At 92 years young, Rochester Hills resident and World War II veteran Leon Gorsline still recalls the time he spent as a sergeant in the Marine Corps during the Guadalcanal Campaign almost 70 years ago.

"They shipped us to Camp Lejeune, NC; San Francisco; Wellington, New Zealand, where we got all our equipment and landed on Guadalcanal," Gorsline said.

Gorsline, who said he was inspired to join the Marines after Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, served in Guadalcanal for six months, where he said he killed 250 enemy soldiers, including one who had jumped into Gorsline’s fox hole. For his actions overseas, Gorsline was given a top military honor.

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"I got the Navy Cross from President Roosevelt," he said. "Congressional Medal (of Honor) is the highest, and Navy Cross is the second highest."

He had just left Guadalcanal with his unit when he was hit by enemy machine gun fire, earning Gorsline a purple heart. "We landed at Peliliu one morning and got as far as the air strip, and the next day ... I got knocked right on my butt," he said.

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Despite being shot in the leg and stomach, which ended his service in the Marines, Gorsline acknowledges how lucky he is. Out of all the soldiers in his entire platoon, only six survived, including Gorsline. In all, more than 7,000 U.S. troops were killed in six months in Guadalcanal.

"One guy I'll never forget, his name is Benny Jones," Gorsline said. "He was from Daytona Beach, Florida. He laid right next to me – he got shot through the head. He laid right next to me, and I'm still here. Benny Jones from Daytona Beach, Florida."

Gorsline, who is originally from Marlette, MI, eventually married and helped raise his wife's two children from a previous relationship. His wife has since passed away, though his stepdaughter still visits him regularly.

This Monday, fellow Marines will visit Gorsline in his assisted living home and ceremoniously induct him into the Cpl Stanley L. Moore Detachment of the Marine Corps League following the .

"Leon is the epitome of the Marine Corps," said Tim McGee, a Troy resident and Marine Corps League Jr. Vice Commandant. "Once a Marine, always a Marine. We don't forget them."


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