THE GIJoe action-figurine, is a Serbian American.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Paige

"Mitchell Paige
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Mitchell Paige
August 31, 1918(1918-08-31)–November 15, 2003 (aged 85)
 
2nd Lt. Mitchell Paige, WW II Medal of Honor recipient
Nickname Mitch
Place of birth Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Place of death California
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service 1936-1959
Rank Colonel
Unit 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines
Battles/wars World War II
*Battle of Guadalcanal
*Cape Gloucester
Korean War
Awards Medal of Honor
Purple Heart
Mitchell Paige (August 31, 1918–November 15, 2003) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II. He received this most prestigious military honor awarded by the United States of America for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on October 26, 1942, where, after all of the other Marines in his platoon were killed or wounded, he operated four machine guns, singlehandedly stopping an entire Japanese regiment.
 
Biography
Mitchell was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. His parents were Serb immigrants who arrived in the USA from the Military Frontier,[1] their last name being Pejić.[1] His mother kept him and his brother in touch with their roots, reminding them of the Battle of Kosovo, but also told them to be proud Americans.[1]

In the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, on October 26, 1942, while a platoon sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, he held his line against advancing Japanese forces even after all of his comrades had been killed or wounded. After reinforcements arrived, Paige led a counterattack against the Japanese, which successfully repelled the enemy forces and held the American line. While on Guadalcanal he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the field on December 19, 1942. General Alexander Vandegrift presented Paige with the Medal of Honor in a special ceremony in Balcombe, Australia, on May 21, 1943 for his actions. Paige later served in the Korean War, retiring from active duty in 1959 .[2]

Among his numerous military decorations were: the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Good Conduct Medal, the China Service Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, the Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon, and the United Nations Service Medal.

Paige retired in 1959 with the rank of Colonel.[3] In retirement, Paige wrote a book about his experiences titled A Marine Named Mitch (published in 1975). [4] In his later years, he served to ferret out imposters wearing or selling the Medal of Honor.

On 15 November 2003, Colonel Paige died of congestive heart failure at his home in La Quinta, California at the age of 85. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient of the Guadalcanal campaign. He was buried with full military honors at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.


[edit] Non-military awards and recognitions
Paige was awarded the Eagle Scout award by the Boy Scouts of America on March 24, 2003;[5] which he had earned in his last year in high school, but had never been presented because he had left home to join the Marine Corps. He is one of only six known Eagle Scouts who also received the Medal of Honor. The others are Aquilla J. Dyess (USMC), Robert Edward Femoyer (U.S. Army Air Corps), Eugene B. Fluckey (USN), Leo K. Thorsness (USAF) and Jay Zeamer, Jr. (USAAF). Paige is also a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.


[edit] Namesake
Served as the model for a G.I. Joe doll — the Marine Corps figure in a series honoring Medal of Honor recipients from each branch of the U.S. military.[6]
On May 2, 2006, the Board of Education of Desert Sands Unified School District in a unanimous decision decided to honor Col. Paige, when naming its newest school.[7] Col. Mitchell Paige Middle School opened the Fall of 2006 in La Quinta, California.
There is a museum on the 29 Palms Marine Corps base dedicated to him.[8]

[edit] Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

PLATOON SERGEANT MITCHELL PAIGE

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, in combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area on October 26, 1942. When the enemy broke through the line directly in front of his position, Platoon Sergeant Paige, commanding a machine gun|machine-gun section with fearless determination, continued to direct the fire of his gunners until all his men were either killed or wounded. Alone, against the deadly hail of Japanese shells, he manned his gun, and when it was destroyed, took over another, moving from gun to gun, never ceasing his withering fire against the advancing hordes until reinforcements finally arrived. Then, forming a new line, he dauntlessly and aggressively led a bayonet charge, driving the enemy back and preventing a break through in our lines. His great personal valor and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
/S/ FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT"


 

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http://olotliny.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/who-wasis-gi-joe/


"Who was/is GI Joe?
 October 30, 2007

Perhaps you had GI Joe dolls-excuse me-action figures when you were a kid- or your brother did. Did you know that GI Joe was a real man-a Marine who was born in PA of parents who had come from Serbia?

GI Joe named Mitchell Paige a United States Marine was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in defeating an Imperial Japanese regiment all by himself after all of his fellow Marines had fallen in the fight/action in the Battle of Guadalcanal on October 26, 1942.

The rest of the page are his words and the links to some of the pages on the web. Go there and be inspired again by a Real American Hero.

“I am proud to be a citizen of a nation whose objective is peace and goodwill for all mankind. A nation which has contributed so much for the benefit of peoples all over the world. A nation, under G-d, with liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be an American. I can never believe it is old fashioned to love our Flag and Country nor can I ever believe it is being square to stand in readiness behind our flag to defend those ideals for which it stands against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Mitch Paige, MOH

“Our history, with its heroes, is a truly necessary foundation for every American boy and girl,” Mitch wrote for fellow MOH recipient Pete Lemon’s 1997 book Beyond the Medal. “Without this knowledge, how can they understand why our nation became the great country that it is today?”

Marilyn and I would like to welcome you to our website. We hope through this modern means of sharing ideas, we can be of some service to others to inspire patriotism and an appreciation for what it means to be an American.

I will never forget listening to the exciting stories of American history in my school when I was a child. I learned all about the men who gave their lives to make this country free. We had to memorize all the great documents, such as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and John Adam’s magnificent, spine-tingling speech given on July 4, 1776, in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, when our country was born. I can recite the speech by memory to this day. Every American should and must be familiar with the trials and tribulations experienced by our great Founding Fathers as they established the very bedrock of the United States of America.

This history, with its heroes, is a truly necessary foundation for every American boy and girl. Without this knowledge, how can they understand why our nation became the great country that it is today?"

 

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Михајло Пејић
Mihajlo Pejich
(pronounce: "Meehaylo Paeech",
hence: "Paige", in american)


Mitchell paige/GI-Joe action-figure:





GI-JOE !!!

 

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MITCH PAIGE:





On the right:



Colonel Mitchell Paige (Pejic, "Payeech"):

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MEDAL OF HONOR
GI-JOE/MITCHELL PAIGE,
the action-figure:

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The official Mitch Paige website:

http://www.homeofheroes.com/mitch/index.html

"Mitch was born to a hard-working railroad construction family of Serbian ancestry on August 31, 1918, in the small town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania.  While completing high school in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Mitch was active in the Boy Scout program at his school.  His mother taught him never to forget his Serbian roots, but always to be thankful for the privilege of living in America.  Patriotism was an important part of his learning process."

" Thanks to urging from Mitch's close friend actor Lee Marvin however, A Marine Named Mitch was published in 1975.

...Lee Marvin, guys...

 

[JTFFan]

The official Mitch Paige website:

http://www.homeofheroes.com/mitch/index.html

"Mitch was born to a hard-working railroad construction family of Serbian ancestry on August 31, 1918, in the small town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania.  While completing high school in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Mitch was active in the Boy Scout program at his school.  His mother taught him never to forget his Serbian roots, but always to be thankful for the privilege of living in America.  Patriotism was an important part of his learning process."

" Thanks to urging from Mitch's close friend actor Lee Marvin however, A Marine Named Mitch was published in 1975.

...Lee Marvin, guys...

 

good to hear