What ever happened to the US Marines in that Famous photo?
Mike Strank
b. 1919 Jarabenia, Czechoslovakia.
d. 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan.
Strank died on March 1, 1945. He was hit by a mortar as he was diagramming a plan in the sand for his boys.
Harlon Block
b. 1924 Yorktown, Texas.
d. 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan.
Harlon was killed by a mortar blast hours later on March 1 at the age of 21.
Franklin Sousley
b. Sept. 19, 1925 Hilltop, KY.
d. March 21, 1945 Iwo Jima, Japan.
Franklin was the last flag-raiser to die on Iwo Jima, on March 21 at the age of 19.
Ira Hayes
b. January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona
d. January 24, 1955 Bapchule, Arizona
When Ira learned that President Roosevelt wanted him and the other survivors to come back to the US to raise money on the 7th Bond Tour, he was horrified. To Ira, the heroes of Iwo Jima, those deserving honor, were his "good buddies" who died there.
At the White House, President Truman told Ira, "You are an American hero." But Ira didn't feel pride. As he later lamented, "How could I feel like a hero when only five men in my platoon of 45 survived, when only 27 men in my company of 250 managed to escape death or injury?"
Rene Gagnon
b. Manchester, N.H. March 7, 1925
d. Manchester, N.H. October 12, 1979
Rene Gagnon was the youngest survivor and the man who carried the flag up Mt. Suribachi. He was the first survivor to arrive back in the US.
John Bradley
b. July 10, 1923 Antigo, WI.
d. January 11, 1994 Antigo, WI.
"Doc" Bradley was a Navy Corpsman who "just jumped in to lend a hand." He won the Navy Cross for heroism and was wounded in both legs.