People who knew Tony Stein before World War II described him the same way. Quiet. Athletic. Determined. A kid who grew up poor in Dayton during the Great Depression and put everything he had into whatever he did.
His mother tried to keep him from enlisting. He told her it was his duty. He owed it to his country.
In February 1945, Marine Cpl. Tony Stein landed on the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima in the first wave of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Enemy fire pinned the Marines down almost immediately. Stein grabbed a homemade machine gun he called the “Stinger” and charged directly into Japanese positions, firing while standing out in the open…