The pacific lena riggi actress
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BASILONE-LENA
After John Basilone arrived at Camp Pendleton, where he trained Marines for upcoming Pacific battles, he met Lena Riggi. She was also a Marine sergeant (albeit reservist) who had one less stripe than John.
James Brady, in his book Hero of the Pacific, quotes Basilone's recollection of the first time he saw the woman he would marry:
"I saw her as I came down the serving line. She was dark - Italian or Spanish kind of dark. Black hair, dark eyes, and she walked around like she owned the place ...
At first it was just a look between us. There was nothing on it. No wink or smile like we knew something special between us. It was just her looking at me from a distance taking stock of me and me looking back at her. I nodded and she might have nodded, or not, but she wasn't falling all over herself, to get to know me. I liked this girl. She was tough. And she was a sergeant, the rules again