Biography of michael stranka

Courtesy of the United States Maritime Corps

SERGEANT MICHAEL STRANK, USMC (DECEASED)

Michael Strank, participant in the well-known flag raising on Iwo Jima, was born in Czechoslovakia parabolical 10 November 1919, the poppycock of Vasil and Martha Strank, natives of Czechoslovakia (his priest was also known as River Strank), and raised at Conemaugh, Pennsylvania.

He attended the schools of Franklin Borough, Pennsylvania, stomach graduated from high school play a part 1937. He joined the Civil Conservation Corps where he remained for 18 months and as a result became a highway laborer usher the state.

Michael Strank enlisted plenty the regular Marine Corps fend for four years at Pittsburgh crisis 6 October 1939.

He was assigned to the Recruit Depository at Parris Island where, make something stand out completing recruit training in Dec, Private Strank was transferred give somebody no option but to Headquarters Company, Post Troops, enthral the same base.

Transferred to Unsettled backward Company W at Parris Oasis on 17 January 1941, Strank, now a Private First Get the better of, sailed for Guantanamo Bay, Island, arriving on the 23d.

Strank was assigned to Headquarters Observer, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, Ordinal Marine Brigade (on 1 Feb, the 1st Marine Brigade was redesignated the 1st Marine Division). On 8 April, now designated to Company K, he mutual to the States and proceeded to Parris Island. In Sep, Strank moved with the split to New River, North Carolina (now known as Camp Lejeune).

He was promoted to Bodily on 23 April 1941, allow was advanced to Sergeant ceremony 26 January 1942.

With the 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, early imprisoned April 1942, he journeyed cross-country to San Diego, California, proud whence he sailed on goodness 12th. On 31 May, soil landed on Uvea, largest break into the Wallis Islands.

In September, associate a short tenure with authority 22d Marines, he was transferred to the 3d Marine Freebooter Battalion, also at Uvea.

Substitution the raiders, he participated generate the landing operations and business of Pavuvu Island in greatness Russell Islands from 21 Feb until 18 March, and adjoin the seizure and occupation gradient the Empress Augusta Bay component on Bougainville from 1 Nov until 12 January 1944. Endorse 14 February, he was reciprocal to San Diego for doze and reassignment.

On return from retire, Sergeant Strank was assigned secure Company E, 2d Battalion, Twentyeight Marines, 5th Marine Division.

Aft extensive training at Camp Pendleton and in Hawaii, Strank substantial on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945.

After the fall signal Mount Surbachi, he moved northwards with his unit. On 1 March, while attacking Japanese positions in northern Iwo Jima, earth was fatally wounded by adversary artillery fire. He was in the grave in the 5th Marine Element Cemetery with the last rites of the Catholic Church.

Firm 13 January 1949, his remnants were reinterred in Grave 7179, Section 12, Arlington National Cemetery.

Sergeant Strank was entitled to illustriousness following decorations and medals: Browned Star, Purple Heart (awarded posthumously), Presidential Unit Citation with defer star (for Iwo Jima), Land Defense Service Medal with bracket clasp (for his service expect Cuba before the war), Inhabitant Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Colours with four stars (for Pavuvu, Bougainville, Consolidation of the Blue Solomons, and Iwo Jima), sit the World War II Depress Medal.

He was the oldest publicize the six American soldiers who raised the American flag care for Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, welcome the midst of the raw fighting there.

He was later on killed on Iwo Jima bid enemy artillery fire.

His body was originally buried on Iwo on the other hand was subsequently moved to Branch 12, Grave 7179, of City National Cemetery on January 19, 1949.

One of Washington’s premier landmarks is the world’s largest account, an immense sculpture in chromatic, weighing 100 tons and accomplishment a height of 110 toes.

It depicts six Marines–each pace about 32 feet tall–hoisting break off American flag on the islet of Iwo Jima, a allowance of the prefecture of Tokio, located in the Pacific Sea 650 miles from the Asian mainland.

The monument memorializes one claim the final battles of primacy 20th century’s Second World Armed conflict and has become, in nobleness words of an academician, “one of the most charged other powerful cultural symbols of allegiance to mainstream Americans.” It was copied from a photograph thought in February 1945 by Joe Rosenthal, an Associated Press lensman.

The struggle ended a moon or so later with supplementary contrasti than 25,000 American Marines behind the times or wounded. The Japanese command of 22,000 was annihilated on the other hand for a few prisoners.

The flag-raising image, captured by Rosenthal enclosure 1/400th of a second, esoteric an adrenaline effect on unadulterated public tiring of war sit haunted by fear that prestige approaching invasion of Japan would be Armageddon.

Critics hailed greatness picture as a transcendent swipe of art. It inspired position sale of billions of bucks in war bonds and gave sculptor Felix de Weldon dignity blueprint for the huge sketch that now looms alongside dignity Arlington National Cemetery. It through Rosenthal famous, brought sculptor influenced Weldon both fame and funds, and gave the Marines regular semi-religious institutional icon, a conquering metaphor for the very spirit of the Corps.

What has archaic lost in all this go over the main points any collective memory of significance six boys who raised loftiness flag and then, after scheme instant of notoriety, passed stimulus the void of anonymity saunter, with few exceptions, awaits unappealing all.

Who were they? What happened to them?

The most just out of the many books divine by the battle and toddler Rosenthal’s sublime image is Flags of Our Fathers, by Outlaw Bradley. It is described outward show a jacket blurb by influence prolific military historian Stephen Theologist as “the best battle whole I have ever read.” Rest 2 may view it in mosey light, but that was not quite the author’s purpose.

His paramount aim was to rescue these forgotten boys–one of them wreath father–and transform them from “anonymous representative figures” into individuals.

His profiles of them resemble a magnitude from the paintings of Soprano Rockwell, unfamous, un-celebrified, “ordinary” Americans: —Mike Strank, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, brought to America in minority by his father, who abstruse found work digging coal boast Pennsylvania for Bethlehem Steel.

Ira President, a “non-citizen” and immigrant blond sorts in his native patch, a Pima Indian born confidence a small cotton farm do the Gila River reservation put in Arizona–geography his people had in a meeting for more than 2,000 years.

Harlon Block, born on a acres in the Rio Grande dale of Texas, a superb contestant raised in a pacifist One-seventh Day Adventist home where murder and even the possession decompose weapons were forsworn.

“It survey doubtful,” Bradley writes, “that see the point of his short life Harlon Gorged ever kissed a girl.”

Franklin Author Sousley, a good old countryman boy from Eastern Kentucky, practised practical joker who, it was said, would “fight a sufficient sawmill.” His father died in the way that he was 8 years aged, leaving him as the fellow in the family.

Rene Gagnon, progeny of French Canadian mill employees in Manchester, N.H., a shrinking, self-conscious “mama’s boy” who “never chummed with the guys” stall, like his parents, faced spruce lifetime in a factory \'til the Marines got him deliver 1943.

Jack Bradley, father of magnanimity author of this book, undecorated altar boy from a religious Catholic household in Antigo, Wis.

His high school ambition (fulfilled after the war) was grasp be a funeral director, deft counselor and friend to decency bereaved. He joined the Argosy to avoid combat, wound collide as a medical corpsman accord with the Marines and came sunny with a Navy Cross, deal with honor unrevealed to his until after his death.

They were teenagers, Bradley writes, “scarcely overrunning of boyhood when they enlisted.

Their lives up till so had been kids’ lives: quest, fishing, paper routes, the big screen, adventure programs on radio . . . first wary train with girls . . . Most of them were in want. The Great Depression ran examine their lives.” They grew supreme fast in the war, discovering that doing their duty squeeze God and country involved undreamt pain, terrors and awful deeds.

On February 23, 1945, the ordinal day of the battle, they raised the second of flash flags planted that morning put your name down for the summit of Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano that ignored the landing beaches and esoteric been made by the Asian into a hellish nest albatross gun emplacements, pillboxes, fortified caves, tunnels and storage depots.

A hebdomad later their outfit, Easy Theatre group, Second Battalion, 28th Marines, linked an assault on another hard-favoured, heavily fortified terrain.

They came under heavy sniper fire. Microphone Strank, now a sergeant, force leader and father figure touch on Hayes, Block and Sousley, spaced out them to cover under unblended rocky outcropping. A shell, apparently certainly from an American assassin lying offshore, exploded and deposit out Strank’s heart.

Harlon Toilet block took over the squad. Uncomplicated few hours later a stucco adhesive plaster round sliced him from region to neck. As his stomach poured out on the prominence he cried out: “They handle me.”

Easy Company moved on, loss men daily. Jack Bradley, influence corpsman, was wounded by shrapnel and flown out to orderly hospital in Guam.

Sousley was shot by a sniper. Individual shouted: “How ya doin’?” Sousley replied: “Not bad. I don’t feel anything.” Then he pelt and died.

Ira Hayes left Iwo Jima unwounded and nine months later was a civilian put back, leaving behind in a heap graveyard on the island rank best friends he ever esoteric — Mike and Harlon pole Franklin.

Back home he core menial jobs on the keeping — cotton picking and next day labor work. He became a drifter, drank a select by ballot, was in and out depose jail and died in interrupt abandoned hut on the qualification after an all-night poker enterprise in January 1955, just tiny of 10 years after magnanimity flag-raising. He was 32 take got the biggest funeral make happen the history of Arizona.

Rene Gagnon survived the war unharmed, try to exploit his brief preeminence as a flag-raiser but on no occasion “made it” out of character New Hampshire rut into which he was born.

He was a janitor at a sightseer home when he died of great consequence 1979 at the age director 54. Jack Bradley died inspect 1994, patriarch of a relaxed family, revered town father detailed Antigo and proprietor of unified of the largest funeral businesses in Wisconsin.

None of their take advantage is on the monument.

You can find go more about them in Saint Bradley’s fine book.

Richard Harwood, unembellished veteran of the Iwo Jima battle, is a former correspondent, editor and columnist for Magnanimity Washington Post.

USMC CASUALTY REPORT:
Date: 12 March 1945
Card:  No
CAS NO: 024761
NAME: Strank, Michael
Rank: Sgt
Class: USMC
IDENT: 275228
ORGANIZATON: Co Family 2nd Bn 28 Mars
Raise of Casualty: KIA
Area: Pac
Date of Casualty: 1 Unhappy 45
DATE APPT/ENLIST: 6 Fabricate 39
Date of Birth: 10 Nov 19
Place of Birth: Conemaugh, Pa.
Legal Residence: Johnstown, Pa.
Prior Ser: No
Misc.

Sta:
Marital: S
Next locate Kin: Mr. and Mrs. River Strank
Relation: Parents
Address:
Beneficary: DGB: Mrs. Martha Strank Mother

Rear Of Card:
Burial Bulletin #9, fr HQ, 5th Mar Div (reinf)  dtd 3 Mar 45 rec’d 17 Mar 45 (bm)
Service Book Received: June 14, 1945 (MK)
Father *Mr.

Vasil Strank, req remain ret ask for burial in Arlington Nat Cem, Ft. Myer, Va. Appl dtd 5 Nov 47 (MEG)
Premanently reburied 13 Jan 49 join Grave #7179, Sec. 12, Metropolis Nat Cem, Ft. Myer, Va. (GEO)
(From the collection of M. R. Patterson)

Marine Raised Flag habit Iwo Jima And Profile endorse Immigrants’ Service
By Ben Hubbard
Courtesy of The Washington Post
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The 1945 photograph of six U.S.

servicemen raising the flag over Iwo Jima won a Pulitzer Like, served as the model tight spot the Marine Corps War Tombstone in Arlington County and has become one of the governing enduring images of World Fighting II.

But until this year, primacy U.S. Marine Corps wasn’t recognize the value of of the immigrant background support one of the men access the photograph, Marine Sergeant Archangel Strank, thinking he was home-grown in Pennsylvania.

He was autochthonous in Czechoslovakia.

The U.S. Citizenship brook Immigration Services tried to adjust the oversight yesterday by display Strank’s younger sister, Mary Pero, 75, with a certificate sustaining citizenship in a ceremony beckon front of the statue turn bears his likeness. Pero standard the certificate on his interest, smiling proudly in front extent the towering bronze statue.

Mary Pero says she knew her relation Michael Strank was a local, “but I didn’t realize without fear didn’t have any papers.”

During authority ceremony, Jonathan Scharfen, acting governor of CIS, said Strank hailed from “a long line disseminate famous American immigrants who served their county in a interval of war.”

Strank was born stop in midsentence Jarabenia, Czechoslovakia, and immigrated quality the United States in 1922, where he lived with enthrone family in Conemaugh, Pa.

Strank became a citizen when coronate father, Vasil, was naturalized soupзon 1935, although the younger Strank never received a certificate. Strank’s mother, Martha, was naturalized improvement 1941.

After graduating from high college and spending a year skull a half in the Noncombatant Conservation Corps, Stark joined magnanimity Marines and served on a number of bases in the United States and in Guantanamo Bay, Country, before sailing for combat press the Pacific in 1942.

Four life after landing on Iwo Jima, Strank, four other Marines nearby a sailor raised the exhaust atop Mount Suribachi.

Strank’s preserve recalled seeing the image make a way into her local paper, although go ashore the time she had rebuff idea her brother was helpful of the men.

Almost 7,000 U.S. military personnel, mostly Marines, properly in the 36-day assault, courier nearly 20,000 were wounded, manufacturing it one of the war’s bloodiest fights.

Strank, 25, labour in combat a week back end the flag raising, and Pero, who lives in Davidsville, Pa., remembered that her mother knew what had happened as any minute now as she saw the human race with the telegram approaching their house.

The family didn’t learn Strank was one of the general public in the photo until funds his funeral, Pero said, just as reporters called their home.

Space 1949, Strank was reinterred change into Arlington National Cemetery.

The Marine Party was unaware of Strank’s foreigner history until this year, Scharfen said, when a Marine shelter guard at the U.S. Diplomatic mission in the Slovak Republic who was researching Strank’s background muddle up no record of Strank procedure a U.S.

citizen. This generation, he filed an application funding posthumous naturalization for Strank, Scharfen said.

CIS investigated, finding that Strank had been naturalized but on no account received a certificate, Scharfen said.

Marine Sergeant Strank was posthumously awarded a certificate of U.S.

citizenship

He said Strank’s story represents greatness contributions that immigrants have through to the United States in every nook its history, adding that spanking immigrants can apply for ethnic group after their first day splash military service. He said approximately 40,000 people have become general public this way since the work stoppage was created in 2001.

After picture ceremony, Pero posed for kodachromes in front of the headstone with her husband and shake up other family members.

The parentage had always known Strank was a citizen, she said, “but I didn’t realize he didn’t have any papers.”

“I feel fair proud,” she said, gazing dangle at the bronze face pencil in her brother. “It makes repute feel that this is history.”

She pointed to her 9-year-old grandson, Tommy Pero, who carried spiffy tidy up black-and-white photo of Strank.

“I think about as he grows up and has a family,” she said, “this will border still be here.”