On September 22, 1942, Tony Stein enlisted in the Marine Corps. Tony graduated from Kiser High School in 1939 and worked for General Motors in the Delco Division before enlisting.

As Dayton’s only WWII Congressional Medal of Honor Winner, Tony earned the honor by his heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. While in battle, Tony went from one enemy pillbox to the next, killing 20 enemy soldiers. His gun was shot out of his hands not once, but twice. When Tony ran out of ammunition, he ran back to the beach for more, carrying a wounded fellow soldier with him. Tony removed his shoes and helmet to help him move quicker. When Tony dropped the soldier off at the beach, he grabbed ammo and ran back into action, dropped off the ammo, then returned with another injured soldier. Tony repeated this cycle many times, ultimately rescuing eight soldiers. The Marine Corps still honors him through the Tony Stein Workout.

Tony died on March 1, 1945. He was killed after volunteering to locate enemy machine gun placements that pinned down his company at Mount Suribachi. Tony was buried with honors in Calvary Cemetery in Dayton.

For the full story, check out our story Tony Stein – Dayton’s Superhero.