Manila John Basilone's niece to make documentary about famous uncle's legacy as WWII Medal of Honor and Navy Cross recipient

Actress and filmmaker Diane Basilone Hawkins grew up in Raritan, New Jersey, surrounded by the echoes of her uncle's memory for his World War II heroics as the only enlisted Medal of Honor recipient to return to combat and has always been a part of the effort to keep his memory alive.

As a child, she lived in the same home as her uncle had and was always aware that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor on Guadalcanal and after requesting a return to a combat unit from the War Bond Tour that he had been killed on Iwo Jima and received the Navy Cross for his action during the invasion there on Feb. 19, 1945.

When Hugh Ambrose, author of The Pacific, and Bruce McKenna, executive producer and writer of the HBO TV series called on her to help develop her uncle as one of the characters in the series, Diane returned from Paris where she had lived for 15 years, acting in French films, directing English theater productions and making documentaries like Americans in Paris and Foreigners in France.

With her family background and experience and her uncle's stature in the Marine Corps, it soon became apparent that a documentary on his legacy was both appropriate and beneficial with the support of the John Basilone Foundation headed by her cousin, Jerry Cutter.

Consequently, Diane attended the 65th Iwo Jima Anniversary Reunion and Symposium in Arlington, Va., in February, went to Los Angeles for the West Coast premiere of The Pacific and on to Iwo Jima for annual "Reunion of Honor" on the island, conducting interviews and making contacts along the way.

"The trip to Iwo Jima where Uncle John served and died was an incredible and heartfelt experience," she said, "as was the opportunity to be with Iwo Jima veterans who survived the battle."

The focus of the documentary (John Basilone: The Legacy of a Hero) has become the journey itself and how John Basilone's legacy of courage, honor and sacrifice has affected her and her family, those who survive the war and younger generations who continue to be impacted by his example.

In Washington, DC, for the Memorial Day Parade in which she rode in the parade, Diane interviewed Gen. Ron Christmas, USMC, (Ret.), Vietnam veteran survivor of the Battle of Hue City and currently President and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and Museum near the Marine Base at Quantico, Va., and visited her uncle grave in Arlington Cemetery.

At the gravesite of GySgt Basilone on Sunday before Memorial Day, she was surprised to see flowers, pennies and other items by the headstone as you see at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. While sitting on the grass reflecting, a couple from London and a small girl walked up. They had watched The Pacific in London. The little girl had a single rose to leave and asked Diane what the writing on the headstone said. Diane read it and the girl left the rose — a powerful testimony for the documentary.

Currently, Diane is gathering archival footage, obtaining footage of current events across the country and filming interviews with relevant sources. Time is running short in reaching the aging Iwo Jima veterans, and she is interviewing and filming this summer many of those who knew and served with her uncle and also the current Marines who are influenced by her uncle and the example he left behind.

During a trip to California, Diane plans to film Marine recruits at the end of boot camp as they listen to a sergeant read the Medal of Honor citation detailing the bravery of Sgt. John Basilone during the World War II battle at Guadalcanal, then run the 54-hour Basilone Obstacle Course (The Crucible) before they graduate from boot camp and earn the Eagle, Globe and Anchor that entitles them to become Marines.

Then in early fall, John Basilone's hometown (and Diane's) of Raritan, N.J., hosts an annual parade in his honor, which enjoyed a resurgence nearly 30 years ago thanks to a very enterprising local third-grade class. The three-day event, which Diane will be filming and participating in, includes a band concert featuring World War II music, the Basilone 5K run, a Marine Corps Band Concert and concludes on Sunday with the John Basilone Parade.

From there, the plan is to retrace her uncle's footsteps to the World War II Pacific Theater, including the Big Island of Hawaii where the Fifth Marine Division trained prior to the Iwo Jima Campaign, Guadalcanal where Gunny Basilone earned the Medal of Honor with the First Marine Division, Australia where the division went for R&R and training after Guadalcanal, and to the Philippines where he served in the Army.

On Guadalcanal, she will go to the Lunga area where her uncle's action on Oct. 24-25, 1942, earned him the Medal. There, Diane will have a map of the area from two Guadalcanal veterans and Marine Corps documents for the location of the battle.

Tax-deductible contributions for travel, filming expenses and production costs may be sent to The John Basilone Foundation, P.O. Box 6778, Hilton Head, SC 29938.