Bruno Gaido

Bruno Peter Gaido (March 21, 1916 – June 15, 1942) was an American sailor who served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Machinist's Mate during World War II. While flying as a gunner for pilot Frank O'Flaherty in a Douglas SBD Dauntless during the Battle of Midway, he was shot down and captured by the Japanese while waiting for rescue from American forces. Gaido, along with O’Flaherty were taken P.O.W. and subsequently tortured, interrogated and executed by being thrown overboard.

Early life Gaido was born March 21, 1916, in Staunton, Illinois, the fourth of seven children to Clementina Gaido, a stay at home mother, and John Gaido, a laborer and later the owner of a pub. where Gaido attended Lincoln High School, graduating in 1934. He then sought to enlist in the Navy, but his father considered him too young, so Gaido found work on a Milwaukee County-run farm.

Carrier raids of 1942

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and American entry into the Second World War, Enterprise was tasked with harassing and disrupting the Japanese offensive throughout the Pacific Theatre as part of the American carrier raids of 1942. On February 1, 1942, following a bombing raid on the Marshall Islands, the Enterprise came under attack by five Japanese Mitsubishi G3M bombers. Afterwards, Gaido was said to have calmly grabbed the SBD's fire extinguisher and used it to extinguish the burning pool of fuel left by the Japanese plane before disappearing into the ship, as he believed he would be in trouble for abandoning his battle station. For his actions, he also received a commendation from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. In the subsequent dogfight, two Zeros were badly damaged, and no SBDs were shot down. However, O'Flaherty and Gaido's plane developed a fuel leak, due to damage from either a Zero or anti-aircraft fire during their bombing run. In 1996, Gaido was the first inductee into the Enlisted Combat Aircrew Roll of Honor. Gaido is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

In popular culture

Gaido was portrayed by Nick Jonas in the 2019 film Midway. Jonas portrayed Gaido with a mustache and a New York accent, under the mistaken impression that Gaido was from Long Island. Despite this, Gaido's surviving family were reportedly happy with Jonas' portrayal. Gaido's actions during the Marshall Islands raid and Midway were also featured prominently in the first two episodes of Battle 360.

Awards

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 Medalwith two bronze campaign stars(Posthumous)World War II Victory Medal(Posthumous)