Last Marine Standing

During the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic, bandits would periodically attack Marines in short but brutal hand-to-hand combat. On August 13, 1919, four Marines from the 44th Company were on patrol near Manchado when suddenly attacked by a large group of bandits. The Marines put up one hell of a fight but found themselves surrounded and took substantial damage. Soon, Corporal Bascome Breedon and two other privates were killed. The last Marine standing was Private Thomas J. Rushforth. He was severely injured, which included a pretty bad machete wound on his right hand, and he couldn’t physically resist any further. He spotted his horse nearby, ran towards it, jumped on, and fled. The rebels fired at Rushforth as he escaped and hit his horse in the neck and Rushforth in the hip. He was able to ride back to camp for reinforcements, and according to the report of field operations, “He wanted to return to the fight although both hands were useless and his sores, saddle and equipment literally varnished with blood.” He received praise from Marine officers and the Secretary of the Navy, but he was denied the Medal of Honor since there were no witnesses.

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