The boys of Iwo Jima...

[m75rlg]

Did you know that the flag raised in the Rosenthal photo came off a Coast Guard LST? There is a bit of controversy whether it was LST 779 or LST 758. Both were side by side on the beach below Mt. Suribachi, and had been on and off the beach since being involved in the first wave of the landing.

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[ancient-one]

Hello John:

Thanks for posting this reminder of one of the most savage battles in American history and of the valor displayed by thousands of Marines in wresting that island from a determined enemy. The battle, the Rosenthal picture and the Iwo Jima Monument based on the photo are deeply engrained in the collective memory of Americans, as they should be.

I have been to the Monument myself a couple of times. My Dad, who spent WW2 as a pilot in the USAAF, took me when I was but a small boy. I never forgot that experience. I returned many years later with my nephew, then an active duty Marine stationed at Eighth and I in Washington, DC. I, too, have read the Bradley book and seen the films mentioned above and many others on the battle and the participants. One would need to have a heart of stone to not be moved by the courage and sacrifice of the Marines on Iwo, as perfectly exemplified in the flag raisers' image.

I am a little surprised that no one has mentioned this yet. The teacher's story you related focused on an encounter at the Monument with John Bradley, the son of the Navy Corpsman then believed to have have been one of the flag raisers. Meticulous research conducted in recent years has led to a change in the identification of the flag raisers immortalized in the Rosenthal photo. They are now recognized to have been Corporal Harlon Block, PFC Rene Gagnon, PFC Ira Hayes, PFC Harold Schultz, PFC Franklin Sousley, and Sgt. Mike Strank.

It turns out that Pharmacist Mate John Bradley was not one of the flag raisers in the Rosenthal image, although he was present on Suribachi and was probably part of the group that raised the first, smaller flag. That latter fact may explain in part how Bradley got swept up and celebrated as one of the six flag raisers in the photo, and perhaps sheds light on his well known reticence to speak of the ordeal in later years.

In 2016 the U.S. Marine Corps issued an official statement correcting the historical record to properly identify the six in the Rosenthal image. In doing so the Marine Corps took great pains to emphasize the courage and fighting spirit of ALL of the Marines on Iwo as symbolized by the Monument. The official statement of the Marine Corps on this issue can be found at this link: USMC statement on Iwo Jima flag raisers > United States Marine Corps Flagship > News Display

It has been said that in a sense one never truly dies if one lives on in the hearts of their countrymen. As a country we seem to have lost a lot of our collective memory, but I think it remains true that the heroism, devotion to duty and sacrifice of the Marines at Iwo Jima 76 years ago is still remembered, revered and is a source of national pride.

The last sentence of your last paragraph. I wish that I felt as you do but I do not think that more than a small fraction of our citizens have the slightest idea about what happened there. American History, if even required, in many cases has been modified leaving the truth tarnished or non-existent.

 

[lihpster]

The last sentence of your last paragraph. I wish that I felt as you do but I do not think that more than a small fraction of our citizens have the slightest idea about what happened there. American History, if even required, in many cases has been modified leaving the truth tarnished or non-existent.

If you ask most people about Chosin or Khe Sanh they'd think you were talking about food.

 

[Tom Kent]

I had a friend down here in Florida, Charlie Davis, who was on Iwo. Charlie never talked about it but once. He and I were having a Scotch and knowing I was a Marine he told a brief story about his experience. Charlie's unit was targeting one of the other two air fields on the island. He said that it was almost like an administrative exercise. They advanced to a point where they could see the air field and "all hell broke loose" Charlie said he didn't remember anything after that. He woke up three days later on a hospital ship. He was taken to Pearl Harbor and then on to the states. He spent a year in military hospitals before he was released. Charlie never spoke about any of the fighting, in fact he only spoke to me once about Iwo.

 

[Krogen]

Thank your for posting, Paladin. I grew up around many such heroes, only they never told me.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Thank your for posting, Paladin. I grew up around many such heroes, only they never told me.

Probably a lot of us did.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[cherrypointmarine]

After reading all these posts , damn if the eyes aren't leaking again .

 

[MRB1]

I watched Flags of our Fathers last night (for the umpteenth time). I was born in Feb 1945, while the Iwo Jima was at it's peak. I'm sure there are many still living, but they would all be in their 90s by now. And they're probably still fighting.

 

[PeterJ]

For those who don't know,,, there is a duplicate of the Iwo Jima Monument down in Harlingen Texas, at the Marine Military Academy which is just above Brownsville. We have visited it when we wintered down in McAllen. They have a great little museum with lots of interesting mementos you can buy and a short film they show about the monument also. It is the same size as the one in D.C. but it is made of material that would not withstand the northern winters. GREAT site to take in if you are anywhere close. One of the flag raisers, Cpl Harlon Block is buried directly behind the monument.

 

[jaguargolf]

I grew up on a neighborhood where every father was a combat vet.

No fathers were vets of Iwo Jima.