Flags of
Our Fathers
By James Bradley
2nd flag famous shot
This picture is the most reproduced picture in
history and the book Flags of Our Fathers is
about this picture and the men who raised it.
Iwo jima
• The story of the flag is
part of the larger story
thescale
Battle for Iwo
mapabout
large
Jima.
• Iwo Jima is in the outer
ring of islands that the
Japanese consider
home.
• Iwo Jima covers 8
square miles and was
created by the volcano
named Suribachi.
Suribochi
• This is Mount Suribachi, a 556 foot high extinct
volcano that created the island of Iwo Jima.
• During the battle the Japanese had 1,500
underground fortifications on the island all
connected with 16 miles of tunnels.
• During the battle the US Marines fought ON Iwo
Jima but the Japanese fought IN Iwo Jima
This map show some of the 1,500
fortifications the Japanese had on Iwo Jima
American landing craft
The rest of the island
Crater of the volcano
This is the view of Mount Suribachi from an airplane
Brief about battle
Beginning on February 19, 71,245 Marines land on Iwo Jima,
5,931 were killed and 17,372 were wounded by the end of the
battle on March 25.
Japanese General Kuribayashi has 22,000 defenders. The
Japanese called their troops “Issen Gorin”
"Issen Gorin" translates to "one yen, five rin", the cost of mailing a draft notice postcard (less than an American
penny). The name Issen Gorin was the name Japanese Officers and powerful military personnel used to refer
to the average Japanese soldier. Meaning that the individuals responsible for the wellbeing of the Japanese
soldiers viewed the soldiers as being worth less than a penny. In their abusive training and continued treatment
during World War II, the Japanese soldiers were constantly reminded by their superiors that they are nothing but
worthless Issen Gorin and, therefore, they should be entirely prepared to sacrifice themselves for the emperor
216 Japanese defenders survived, all the rest died for their
Emperor
Shot of landing
Mount Suribachi
Each of these wakes are
made by landing craft
with 30 Marines in them
Photo of landings on Iwo Jima
Landing Beaches
The following information comes from
the book Flags of Our Fathers. It was
written by James Bradley who’s father
was one of the flag raisers.
Growing up James knew his father had raised the flag on Iwo
Jima but what he learned about the event after his father past
away did fill a book. And a very readable one at that.
There were 3
beliefs/myths about
the “Flag Raising on
Mount Suribachi”
Set-up for picture
#1 There was only
one flag raising and
Joe Rosenthal took
the famous
photograph of it.
#2 The flag raising
marked the
successful
conclusion of this
bloody battle.
#3 The Rosenthal photograph was
posed, staged or faked.
Marine Sergeant Lou Lowery, a photographer joined the 1st Lieutenant Schrier’s
3rd platoon of Easy Companies patrol to climb the mountain. Everyone expected
the patrol to be attacked on its climb up Suribachi. There were still a substantial
number of Japanese soldiers IN the many caves and tunnels. (150 Japanese
soldiers were in the caves days later)
This picture shows the original 54”X28” flag being passed forward.
The patrol was not attacked until after it reached the summit.
Flag on climb up
February 23,
1944 D+4
• Another
shot by
Marine
Sergeant
Lou
Lowery.
This
shows the
original
flag being
prepared
to be
raised.
1st flag prepare to go up
•
•
(Left) This is Marine Sergeant Lou
Lowery’s photo of the original flag
raising.
This picture captured the historic
moment when the American flag flew
over the first piece of land EVER
captured from the nation of Japan.
1st flag raising
•
Lowery was the only photographer on
the mountain at this time. This is the
flag that caused so much emotion for
the American Marines and Sailors.
•
This was the event that everyone
thought was captured by the Joe
Rosenthal picture (seen below).
• Another Lou Lowery
picture. The original flag
is up, secure and all the
Americans on the island
are yelling and hollering,
the hundreds of ships
around the island are
blowing their horns.
• This event was a huge
emotional lift to the
Americans. The men
who actually did it are
listed on the photo. These
are not the men who
became the famous “Flag
Raisers From Iwo Jima”.
1st flag up
When the flag first appeared on Mount Suribachi Secretary of
the Navy, James Forrestal was so taken by the sight that he
turned to Marine General Holland “Howlin’ Mad” Smith and
said “That flag means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years”.
Forrestal also decided that he wanted the flag as a souvenir. The
order to give the flag to a stranger, even if he was the Navy
Secretary, didn’t sit well with Easy Companies commander
Colonel Chandler Johnson who quickly found another flag to put
up so he could keep the original flag for Easy Company.
The second flag came from LST 779 and was from the salvage
yard in Pearl Harbor and likely survived the Japanese attack on
December 7, 1941 that started this war.
• Hours later, AP
photographer Joe
Rosenthal stood on a few
rocks, turned to talk with
another photographer
and almost missed this
shot of a replacement
flag bring raised. Joe
didn’t aim and didn’t
know until several days
later that the picture even
came out.
• When the world saw this
picture they assumed it
was of the original flag
raising. They didn’t know
there were two flags put
up that day.
famous2
This is the replacement flag going
up that became famous
• This picture would have
explained what really
happened that day on
Suribachi. In the background is
the SECOND flag that went up
that Joe Rosenthal took the
famous picture of. In the front
is the original flag being taken
down.
• Everyone involved with the Joe
Rosenthal picture was very
surprised about its importance.
They knew it was just a
replacement of the REAL flag.
• The replacement flag raising
was looked on with all the
importance of replacing a
football during a game…no
one paid any attention to it
when it happened. James Bradley
1st down 2nd up
This is the original flag
Being lowered.
•
This is a color still shot from Bill
Genaust who was the only
movie photographer on the
mountain that morning. This
larger replacement flag actually
came from LST #779
2nd flag
•
On the extreme lower right is
the back of a Marine who is
helping to take down the original
or “REAL” Iwo Jima flag.
•
Bill Genaust was killed on Iwo
Jima.
(Right) After the
second flag was
raised and the “soon
to be famous” picture
was already taken,
Joe Rosenthal had all
the Marines in the
area pose with the
replacement flag.
This shot with the
whole island of Iwo
Jima behind them
was the picture that
everyone thought
would be famous.
2nd flag staged shot
(Left) This is a photo of Joe Rosenthal taking the
“posed picture shown above.
Joe
Rosenthal
This is Joe Rosenthal the AP
photographer who captured 1/400th
of a second on film, the most famous
photo ever taken.
He didn’t even look through the
viewfinder on his Kodak camera
when he took the picture.
He remembers that moment “I swung
my camera around and held it until I
could guess that this was the peak of
the action and shot.”
2nd flag with view of beach
A shot of the replacement
flag on Suribachi.
From this height you can
clearly see the landing
beaches
To the right of the Marine
and the rest of the island
behind him.
This replacement flag flew
on Suribachi for three
weeks before it was so
shredded by the wind that
it to had to be replaced.
The Picture
When this photo was
released to the public on
February 25, 1944 (3
days after it was taken) it
immediately became
popular. Every
newspaper in the US ran
it on the front page and
many newspapers
reprinted it on cardboard
so people could frame it.
Fam 2
The President, FDR, realized how important this photo was and wanted these Marines
to return to the US as hero’s and help sell war bonds. By that time three of the six
Marines in this photo were dead and a fourth badly wounded.
Who Were these Flag Raisers?
The following slides give a
short history of each of
these men.
Mike Strank
Michael Strank was the son of
Czech immigrants who lived
and worked in the coal fields of
Pennsylvania. The rugged
sergeant had enlisted in 1939
after Nazi Germany had
swallowed his parents'
homeland and fought on
Bougainville with the Marine
Raider Battalion (an elite force).
He was a considered an ideal
Marine
Mike Strank was the first flag raiser killed, just 6 days later. He
was leading his platoon across an open area when some
Japanese snipers started shooting. He and several other
Marines hid behind a rock when a shell exploded next to them.
The explosion tore
his chest open and
ripped out his heart.
Harlon Block took
over the platoon.
Mike Strank merited a
posthumous Bronze Star.
He is buried in Arlington
National Cemetery.
Harlon Block
Harlon H. Block joined the Marines
after graduating high school with his
entire championship Weslaco High
School football team (He was an AllState receiver).
He volunteered for parachute duty and
served in the same battalion as Hayes
on Bougainville.
Harlon took over the platoon when Mike
Strank got killed, 6 days after the flag
raising. Harlon only lived a few more
hours. He was also killed by an
explosion.
Harlon was miss-identified in the photo as Henry Hanson
but Harlon’s mother was convinced that was her
son’s butt in the photo, “I don’t care what the papers say, I know
my boy”. Since both Harlon and Henry were killed
(on the same day) No one believed her. Many years later she
learned she was correct. Ira Hayes walked across Arizona and
New Mexico into Texas to the Block farm to tell the family that
It was Harlon in the picture not Henry Hanson.
Franklin Sousley
Franklin R. Sousley, his father died
when he was 9 and Franklin
assumed “Man of the House”
responsibilities on the small
Kentucky farm they lived on.
Friends said that he was always
happy but had to spend all free
time working on the farm.
Franklin was shot and died on March 21, 27
days after raising the flag.
When Franklin’s mother, Goldie, learned of his
death the neighbors heard her scream and cry
all night and into the next morning. They lived a
quarter mile from Goldie’s house
Rene Gagnon
Rene A. Gagnon, born in New
Hampshire from FrenchCanadian parents. Worked in a
mill with his mother and girl
friend. Wanted to be a marine
because he thought he could
pick up more girls wearing a
Marine uniform.
He was not considered good
enough to be a combat Marine
and was a “runner”. He delivered
radio batteries and the
replacement flag up Suribachi.
He only shot his gun once during
the battle.
Rene believed that this event
would make him set for life. It
didn’t. He had great trouble
finding work after the war.He was
the only surviving flag raiser who
liked the attention the event
brought him.
The end of his life was unhappy.
A newspaper printed an
unflattering Memorial Day
interview in 1978 that got him
fired from his job as a motel desk
clerk. A year later he died of a
heart attack while working as a
maintenance man for an
apartment complex. He is buried
in Arlington National Cemetery
John Bradley
John H. Bradley, "a solid guy
with a sense of humor," had
completed his apprenticeship
to a Wisconsin funeral director
when he enlisted in the Navy to
become a corpsman. wounded
The Corps conferred a Navy
Cross on Bradley for aiding
Marines under fire. He was, in
fact, treating Sergeant Henry
O. Hansen, a member of the
original patrol, when a sniper's
bullet killed the sergeant.
Bradley returned to
his hometown and
his former
business, setting
up his own funeral
home. He died in
1994, the last of
the flag-raisers.
Ira Hayes
Ira A. Hayes , a Pima Indian from a reservation in
Arizona and a former Marine paratrooper with combat
experience at Bougainville. PFC Hayes received a letter of
Commendation.
Hayes fared worst in postwar life. The quiet young man had
grown up in a close-knit tribal community of two hundred and
was troubled by the unwanted limelight of the bond tour and
subsequent publicity.
He became a problem
drinker, unable
to hold a job, and died
of alcohol and exposure
near his home
in 1955, barely two
months after the
unveiling of the Marine
Corps War Memorial.
Buried at Arlington
National Cemetery
7th Bond drive
In WW2 the
money needed
to pay for the
war came from
regular people
Donating money
The goal of the
7th Bond Drive
was
$14,000,000,000
(14 billion)
Which is nearly
$100 from
every Single
person in
the USA
Flag Raisers On Tour
“The Photograph” became the symbol for FDR's "7th Bond Drive."
For the next two months everyone in America would see this
picture over and over. And the 3 living flag raisers toured America
to help sell more war bonds
You couldn't avoid it.
It hung in:
***One million Retail Store windows.
***16,000 Movie Theaters.
***15,000 Banks.
***200,000 Factories.
***30,000 Railroad Stations.
***5,000 Large Billboards.
At the beginning of the tour the war had already cost the US
88 billion dollars that year.
The government only had 99 billion in the treasury.
The Flag Raisers had to convince millions of Americans to spend
billions of their own money to pay for the war.
John Bradley would speak these words into hundreds of
microphones around the US…
“Men of the fighting fronts cannot understand the need for
Rallies to sell bonds for purchase of seriously needed
supplies. The bond buyer is asked only to lend his money at
a profit. The fighting man is asked to give his life.”
The “Mighty” 7th Bond Tour broke all records and collected 26.3
billion dollars in 8 weeks, almost twice the goal of 14 billion.
The Flag Raisers
became hero’s but not for
raising a replacement
flag, they raised a record
amount of money to pay
For the war.
In July of 1949 Republic Studio made a movie about Iwo Jima
And told the flag raisers they needed them to help with the film.
This was a lie, they wanted them to appear in the picture for free
Advertising.
The scene from
“Sands of
Iwo Jima” with
the 3 Flag
Raisers. The
actor John
Wayne (Center)
hands Rene the
flag to be raised
as Ira and John
look on.
US Marine Corp Memorial
Washington DC
This memorial, based on “The Photograph”
is 110 feet tall.
Each of the 6 figures is about 32 feet high
It was presented on November 10, 1954
This was the last time the 3 living flag
raisers would be together
John Bradley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon
This memorial is very close to Arlington
National Cemetery where several of the
Flag raisers are buried.
Name____________________________________________________Class #____
Questions: Print this page out and answer the following
questions then hand it in for extra credit.
How long (in days) did the battle for Iwo Jima last?
What percentage of Marines became casualties (killed and wounded) during the battle?
What percentage of Japanese became casualties (killed and wounded) during the battle and how did the term
Issen Gorin explain the high percentage of Japanese casualties?
List the 3 belief/myths about “The Picture” of the flag raising and explain how they were shown to be incorrect in
the book Flags of Our Fathers.
#1
#2
#3
The 3 flag raisers that survived the battle always said that they were not hero’s because of “The Picture”.
In what way could you consider them hero’s?