It's been more than 65 years since Marine Corporal John Fardy was killed on the beaches of Okinawa in a battle with Japanese forces, but his brave actions were remembered at a gravesite ceremony in Alsip Monday.
Fardy is considered a hero for throwing himself onto an enemy grenade and absorbing the blast, therefore saving the lives of his comrades while sacrificing his own. Then President Harry Truman posthumously recognized him with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor, for his bravery.
Fardy's living relatives, some of his fellow soldiers and classmates from the Leo High School Class of 1940, gathered at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Alsip Monday for a rededication of his gravesite.
Many of the gravesites for the WWII soldiers dubbed the "The Greatest Generation" are modest at best, and don't begin to describe their many accomplishments. The hope is to place a Medal of Honor designation on Fardy's marker to fully honor a hero who gave his life for his country.
"This ceremony is so meaningful because we see how his life impacted so many people," McGuire's niece, Anne Thomas McGuire, said. "It really makes me realize how important it is for all of us to really appreciate what the men in service are doing for our country."
