European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 9, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I1 a 16-year fight for the medal of Honor by Walter Hennessy is now York bureaus Anthony Casamento has a Date at he White House Friday when president Carter will shake his hand hang the medal of Honor around Hii neck and congratulate him for win Ning the highest military recognition ame Icacan give its heroes. But for Cas Niemo she territory if not the ceremony Wil be familiar. He has twice picketed the White House sitting in his wheelchair in a lonely Vigil in 1 a scr Ian of he fact that be has Long since earned this medal and hat he would fight to his last breath for the Honor his govern ment seemed reluctant to Grant. Toe Omdal itself is something i Lute a a longing for Smrdl Cui Menlo la in interview �1 his Home in West slip. Long Island. But Mare this the Honor of tit medal is the principle. Tout the principle is vat 1 lure been i filing  and that lie added is Why i turned Down the Navy Cross twice. It s a Beautiful medal and it is the highest Honor the Navy can Confer. A lot of people died Lor it and i have the greatest respect for it but if i accepted that Honor when in my heart i knew i should have the medal of Honor i would be letting everybody Down. So had to  and that s whal Casamento did he fought. First As a Marine Corporal on Guadalcanal where he was wounded 14 times in a single action against the japanese during one of America s first major counter attacks of world War ii and then years later against a bureaucracy that at limes seemed even Laugher than the japanese. Out Casamento now 59, and still ailing from his wounds wan Bot i fights. Lie also won a fight for survival at military hospitals in the Pacific in California and in new York. He is and has been since that Day in 1942 when he put his life on the line in earning the medal of Honor 100 percent disabled. He walks with the Aid of a Cane and his had numerous operations stemming from Hii injuries on Guadalcanal the most recent was an emergency Hospital admission for removal of a piece of shrapnel from his neck. He suffers additionally from diabetes and emphysema. He has also had several heart attacks. None of this however has Ever discouraged Casamento. As his wife of 28 years Olivia pub it Tony Haj always had a lot of  so for out Cutler tue Tony s wife. In 1977, to till pc Neloa to bet new land Carat or. Cim Utt nto Mother of their four daughters stood outside tic White House far ii Dayi bulging i hunger strike. For ii of Host Denyi she in towed herself Only in Star us juices. There was never a Lime when i gave up Hope said Casamento As he and his wife recalled those Bleak Days outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Bui when she was Down there and got sick during that hunger strike and had to come Home i knew 1 would never atop fighting for whal i thought was  Casamento himself picketed the White House for 12days in december 1978, and 51 Days in the Spring of 1979, sitting in Hij wheelchair at the front gales display ing an american Flag and signs Reading Carter Justice cried out and alone on Guadalcanal alone  i was heartbroken that Christmas eve and Christ Muday Casamento recalled As he sat with his wife at his dining room table. The Walls of the room were covered with framed citations resolutions and proclamations of Good will and support from Marine and Veteran s organizations and politician. Here it was Christmas and i wanted la be Home with my family and yet i knew in my heart that 1 had to a and make that sacrifice. To me that Wai the wont time of  the White House protest Cost Caa Menlo $6,000 out of this own pocket. He handed out 100,000 copies of an article which had appeared in he Suffolk county Long hand publication of the american legion titled an unpardonable miscarriage of  meanwhile Hii youngest daughter Katherine the Only 12, rounded up Over 5,000 signatures to present to the Senate armed services committee urging hat her father be granted the Medat of Honor by then other were backing Casamento s cause. Among them was rep. Thomas Downey . Who has an office Only a few blocks from Casamento s  introduced legislation to waive time limitation so that cosamento could receive the medal at this late Date. Casamento Eren had word from the japanese colonel who commanded the Force that opposed him on Guadalcanal. I had contacted japanese officials in new York and in Washington Casamento said and 1 asked them if any records existed which would establish what happened thai Day did they know anything about the unit thai had fought against me. I did t have much Hope because the situation on both sides was total confusion. But eventually i got a reply from the commanding officer of the japanese Force which had been under strict orders to recapture Henderson Field the Airstrip that gave the marines control of the air and sea around Guadalcanal. Col. Masao Tom urn a University professor who died year and a  ago responded to Casamento s inquiry addressing him As the hero of Guadal Carial in a six Page letter written in a spidery japanese hand. We were living in the Bronx at the time said mrs. Cosamento As she paged through the colonel s letter and we took it to a local Church which had a japanese priest hoping he would translate it for us. When he read it though he became furious and called my husband a murderer. He would t even give the letter Back until we threatened to Call the  what shocked the japanese priest was a recounting of the events of that november morning in 1942, when 21-year-old Anthony Casamento a Marine enlisted from the Bronx a of aug. 19, 1940, and the Eon of an East Harlem tailor met Ini Fale. The  asked tit by depart int for translation owl  tint far from the print i horror the cok wits unt Imant weft those of highly respectful . The Coronet told Cai Amoto thai Only 15 of a japanese Force of 1,000 men survived the conflict in which Heyoung Marine Corpora was w severely wounded. He a not bitter. He even offered to come to the United Olalea to Back Casa Menlo i cause saying i was really disappointed when i Leei cd thai such n Brave Soldier As Yon who so effectively exploited a com Bat it Fialkin had nol been decorated. It is difficult to find word to describe the living hell of that close hand to hand combat which resulted in Mountain of  the living hell the colonel was talking about took place when Casamento in command of two machine gun Crews led part of d company across a Bridge of fogs spanning Guadalcanal s Matani Kau River. It was a hot steamy nov. 1, and Casamento. Along with the 29 men under his command woj assigned to protect a coasts position near Henderson Field. The fight for the Island stronghold had been raging since August and would not end until the following Rumary. Shortly after Casmento unit Tad crossed he by the japanese troops responded with murderous ran gunfire lulling or badly wounding All but two of � memo s  remained Only the Corporal pvt. Michael c Recti and pvt. Vincent j. Tortorici tha latter dazed mortar Shell and thrown 30 feet and the former Woof in the leg. Casamento dispatched Ciao Ercoli inf. Info Cemela and medical help and then himself mat a machine gun silenced by the death of Cpl. Lew Rubarts. I no on mow Bow Many of tit Monneta corpses mentioned by the japanese colonel o the result of Gnu Minla Etton but it b cart hut holding i position Tymn retd up wifi " which otherwise Koukl bite endangered my an tout lire. In the process Casamento suffered 14 wounds i Tim of machine gun tire and grenade shrapnel. Do let entered i Throat and exited through Hii net right ear and right Temple were struck by a grenade ripped apart his right hand and he his right ankle leg Torso and shoulder. Yet Casamento manned his machine gun his shirt and wrapping it around his bleeding the reinforcements arrived. When they found Tony his wife said recovered with his own blood that they did t Eft m � him. He was just a thing " former Marine maj. Maurice Raphael r Day and has testified Page 14 the stars and stripes Casamento picketed the