Shadow of Suribachi

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Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima
Shadow of Suribachi.jpg
Author Parker Bishop Albee, Jr.
Keller Cushing Freeman
Cover artist Joe Rosenthal (photograph: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Military history
PublisherPraeger Publishers
Publication date
1995
Media typePrint Hardcover
Pages174 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN 0-275-95063-8 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC 31010773
940.54/2528 22
LC Class D767.99.I9 A4 1995

Shadow of Suribachi: Raising The Flags on Iwo Jima (1995) is a book released during the 50th anniversary of the flag-raising(s) atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima during World War II which was written by Parker Bishop Albee, Jr. and Keller Cushing Freeman. The book mainly examines the controversy over the identification of the flag-raiser who was positioned at the base of the flagpole in Joe Rosenthal's Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photograph of the second flag-raising on February 23, 1945.

Contents

Overview

The authors examine various staging myths about Rosenthal's photograph of six men raising the flag on Iwo Jima. Much of the book is devoted to the story of Sergeant Hank Hansen who was initially identified as one of these men and became the model for one of the six figures in the Marine Corps War Memorial. Hansen was a member of the 40-man combat patrol mostly from Third Platoon, E Company, 28th Marines, that raised the first of two flags on the summit of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. After the battle of Iwo Jima, Hansen was incorrectly identified as a flag-raiser by E Company's runner, Rene Gagnon, who was also identified as a second flag-raiser. E Company's Third Platoon corpsman, John Bradley (incorrectly identified as a second flag-raiser), [1] also misidentified Hansen. Marine Ira Hayes was the only second flag-raiser who correctly identified Corporal Harlon Block, who was officially recognized as a second flag-raiser in January 1947.

Ira Hayes questions misidentification

Among the topics discussed in the book is the struggle by Ira Hayes (a surviving second-flag-raiser) to correctly identify Corporal Harlon Block as one of the second flag-raisers. Block was misidentified as Hansen in Rosenthal's photograph. Both Block and Hansen were killed on Iwo Jima on March 1, 1945. In April 1945 Hayes, Gagnon and Bradley were returned to the United States and interviewed by a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel about the flag-raising before embarking on a cross-country war bond drive tour. Hayes tried to raise the issue of the error in identifying Block. He was told that Block had already been identified publicly as flag-raisers by the Marine Corps on April 8, and that since both men had died the matter was considered closed. The 7th War Loan Drive began on 11 May and the trio visited 33 American cities to sell war bonds, but Hayes was ordered back to E Company in Hawaii on April 24. The tour continued without him until July 4.

Hayes' story as presented in the book differs from that of other biographers as they transcribe a letter which Hayes replied to a letter sent to him by Harlon's mother Belle on July 12, 1946, confirming it was her son Harlon in the photograph. The authors do not mention Hayes hitchhiking to Texas to tell them the truth, a feature of other Hayes biographies. When Belle Block sent Hayes' letter to her congressman through Mr. Block in September 1946 he requested the Marine Corps investigate the identification. Hayes supplied an affidavit listing the names of six men he believed to be the second flag-raisers (including at that time John Bradley). The Marine Corps launched an investigation on December 4, 1946 and concluded that it was actually Block and not Hansen in Rosenthal's photograph. The report listed significant uniform discrepancies between the figure in the photograph and that of Hansen in photographs taken earlier that day, including Rosenthal's "Gung Ho" photograph taken moments after the second flag-raising.

Before seeing Hayes' hand-written notes and identifications on the photographs, both Gagnon and Bradley sent notarized statements reaffirming their earlier identification of Hansen. After being shown Hayes' material, Bradley wrote a letter to the investigators which he ended by saying, "...it could be Block." Hayes' material and Bradley's letter were then sent to Gagnon, who, according to this book, gave in and acquiesced in a letter, the first paragraph of which was copied word-for-word from Bradley's.

Conclusion

On January 15, 1947, the Marine Corps appointed investigating board found that the figure at the base of the flagpole in the photograph had been "incorrectly identified since April 8, 1945, as being Sergeant Henry O. Hansen." Furthermore, they stated that "to the best of the ability of the Board to determine at this time, the above-mentioned figure is that of Corporal Harlan [sic] H. Block."

Albee and Freeman concluded that it was ultimately impossible to tell, based only on the photographic evidence, who was at the base of the flagpole.

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<i>Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima</i> Iconic photograph taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II

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Henry Oliver Hansen

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Louis R. "Lou" Lowery was a United States Marine Corps captain. He was the only Marine Corps combat photographer to cover six major campaigns during World War II. He is best known for taking the first photographs of the first American flag that was raised on top of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on the morning of February 23, 1945.

Ernest Ivy Thomas Jr.

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Harold George Schrier was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who served in World War II and the Korean War. In World War II, he was awarded the Navy Cross for leading the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi, where he helped raise the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. In the Korean War, he was wounded in North Korea during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir while commanding a rifle company.

Charles W. "Chuck" Lindberg was a United States Marine Corps corporal who fought in three island campaigns during World War II. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, he was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi where he helped raise the first U.S. flag on the island on February 23, 1945. Six days later, he was wounded in action.

Raymond Jacobs United States Marine and news reporter

Raymond E. Jacobs was an American and United States Marine Corps sergeant who served in combat during World War II. Jacobs was a member of the combat patrol that climbed up to the top of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima and raised the first U.S. Flag on February 23, 1945. Afterwards, he was a news reporter and had served during the Korean War as an instructor at Camp Pendleton, California.

Harold Schultz United States Marine

Harold Henry Schultz was a United States Marine corporal who was wounded in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi and raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. He is one of the six Marines who raised the larger replacement flag on the mountaintop the same day as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

Harold Keller United States Marine

Harold Paul Keller was a United States Marine corporal who was wounded in action during the Bougainville campaign in World War II. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, he was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi and raised the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. He is one of the six Marines who raised the larger replacement flag on the mountaintop the same day as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

Chandler Wilce Johnson was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. He served as the commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines during the battle of Iwo Jima, leading his battalion in capturing Mount Suribachi which later led to the flag being raised over Iwo Jima. He was killed in action one week after the flag raising and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

Dave Elliott Severance was a United States Marine Corps colonel. During World War II, he served as the commanding officer of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines and led his company in the battle of Iwo Jima. During the battle, Severance ordered his 3rd Platoon to scale Mount Suribachi and raise the flag at the summit.

References

  1. USMC Statement on Marine Corps Flag Raisers, Office of U.S. Marine Corps Communication, 23 June 2016

Shadow of Suribachi: Raising The Flags on Iwo Jima. Parker Bishop Albee, Jr. and Keller Cushing Freeman. 1995. Praeger Publishers. ISBN   0-275-95063-8
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