February 21, 1945

Sgt. Ross “The Deacon” Gray single-handedly cleared a minefield on Iwo Jima while taking a barrage of enemy gunfire. A native of Marvel Valley in Bibb County, Gray abandoned his weapons and carried 12 satchel charges one at a time through an enemy minefield to destroy six Japanese emplacements and more than 25 enemy combatants. He then disarmed the entire minefield before returning to his platoon unscathed. Gray originally enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942 and participated in the Marshall and Mariana Islands campaigns before landing on Iwo Jima. He died six days later after an enemy shell inflicted fatal wounds to his legs. Gray was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman.

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