John Dury New enlisted in the Marines out of Mobile Alabama. He then fought with the 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester. In the Battle of Peleliu, he jumped on top of a live hand grenade to save the lives of two of his comrades. For this action, he posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

His citation reads in part "When a Japanese soldier emerged from a cave in a cliff directly below an observation post and suddenly hurled a grenade into the position from which two of our men were directing mortar fire against enemy emplacements, Pfc. New instantly perceived the dire peril to the other marines and, with utter disregard for his own safety, unhesitatingly flung himself upon the grenade and absorbed the full impact of the explosion, thus saving the lives of the two observers."

Source of information: www.findagrave.com