Bruno Gaido | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name | Bruno Peter Gaido |
| Born | March 21, 1916 Staunton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 15, 1942 (aged 26) Pacific Ocean near Midway |
| Place of burial (Marker Only) | Courts of the Missing, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1940–1942 |
| Rank | Aviation machinist's mate first class |
| Unit | VS-6 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Bruno Peter Gaido (March 21, 1916 – June 15, 1942) was an American sailor who served in the United States Navy as an aviation machinist mate during World War II. While flying as a gunner on an Douglas SBD Dauntless during the Battle of Midway, he was shot down and captured by Imperial Japanese Navy. Gaido, along with pilot Frank O'Flaherty, was tortured and then thrown overboard to drown by the Japanese.
Early life
Bruno Gaido was born March 21, 1916, in Staunton, Illinois, the son of John Peter and Clementina Compagnio Gaido, who had immigrated to the United States in 1914 from Italy. His six siblings were Gidorena Irene Chiappa, Mary, Pete, Flora, Florence B., and Dominic Peter Gaido.[1]
Naval career
Gaido enlisted in the Navy on October 11, 1940, as an apprentice seaman. He joined air squadron VS-6, which flew Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers. After what was originally supposed to be a temporary assignment, he joined VS-6 permanently as an aviation machinist. VS-6 was attached to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.
On February 1, 1942, following a bombing raid on the Marshall Islands, the Enterprise came under attack by five Japanese Mitsubishi G4M bombers. The lead aircraft, led by Lieutenant Kazuo Nakai, badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire, turned back towards the Enterprise, attempting to ram it. Seeing this, Gaido abandoned his watch post and jumped into a nearby Dauntless parked on the flight deck, and returned fire using the rear-facing .30 caliber machine gun. His fire disabled the aircraft, causing it to narrowly miss the Enterprise, only hitting parked aircraft, including the one in which Gaido was, before spiraling into the sea.[2] Upon seeing this act, Vice Admiral William Halsey Jr. spot-promoted him to from aviation machinist mate third class to aviation machinist mate first class,[3][4] and he received a commendation from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox.[2]
Gaido was an SBD Dauntless gunner in the Battle of Midway. During the battle, he was captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy after his plane was shot down. The Japanese claimed that, under torture, he revealed details about Midway Island's defenses; however, as a carrier machinist, he would have had no knowledge of details about the island.[3]
Death
On June 15, 1942, Gaido and his pilot Frank O'Flaherty were weighted and thrown overboard from the Japanese destroyer Makigumo to drown.[3] In April 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions aboard the Enterprise.[5]
In popular culture
Gaido was portrayed by Nick Jonas in the 2019 film Midway.[6][7] Gaido's actions during the Marshall Islands raid and Midway were portrayed in the first two episodes of Battle 360.
Awards
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| Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumous) |
Purple Heart (Posthumous) | ||||||||||
| Navy Presidential Unit Citation (Posthumous) |
Prisoner of War Medal (Posthumous) |
American Defense Service Medal (Posthumous) | |||||||||
| American Campaign Medal (Posthumous) |
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze campaign stars (Posthumous) |
World War II Victory Medal (Posthumous) | |||||||||
References
- ↑ "PO1 BRUNO PETER GAIDO". Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- 1 2 The Associated Press (May 13, 1942). "Foiled Dive on U.S. Carrier: Sailor Honored for Helping Shoot Down Jap 'Suicide' Plane". The Kansas City Star. Washington. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Toughness—Aviation Machinist Mate 1st Class Bruno Peter Gaido". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ "Heroic Machine Gunner Given Rating Boost". The Journal Times. Washington. May 13, 1942. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ "Gaido, Bruno Peter, PO1". Navy.togetherweserved.
- ↑ Chi, Paul (November 6, 2019). "The Story Behind Nick Jonas's Studio-Approved Midway Mustache". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Midway (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved December 16, 2022.