My father, Cpl Norman P Sprague, cooked in Iwo Jima, so I looked at everything that happened there in detail. One thing I discovered was that the sign photograph, taken by Joe Rosenthal, was the second flag dedicated to Suribachi Mountain. My second discovery was that only two years before that the correct names of those who raised this flag became known for the first time. Many years have passed since the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II, but the facts were not exactly known.
One thing I did in my exam was to identify the people who raised the first flag, and I later discovered that there is at least a third flag. I have a photo, but no identifier for flag number three. Those who set the number one flag first are: Lt Harold G. Schrier, Sgt. Ernest Thomas and Sergeant Oliver Hanson. Then the wind came, so they needed help, and they were helped by Cpl Charles Lindberg, Pfc James Michels, Pfc Raymond Jacobs and the Navy John Bradley. The Flags of Our Fathers was written by his son, James Bradley. I read his book and saw the movie. This flag was 54 "x 28" on the first, and it was taken from the USS Missoula transport ship. For this photographer was Louis Lowry.
As for the flag number two, the one that gets all the glory men are: Sgt Michael Strank, Cpl Hanlon H Block, Pfc Franklin R Sousley, Pfc Ira H Hayes, Pfc Rene A Gagnan and Harold Schultz. Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Rosenthal for his beautiful photo of the larger flag and men. The flag was 96 "x 56" in size and was delivered from LST-779, which was a tank transport ship. For many years, Sergeant Henry Hanson was considered one of the flagpoles, but was not one of them. Unfortunately, he could not leave Ijimu alive, as he was killed by sniper bullets.
Lt. Harold G. Shire was the first man to reach the summit of Suribachi, and he was awarded a naval cross for his efforts and heroism. He led the first marines from the 28th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division to get to the top of this mountain and not knowing what he would face when he got there.
The Japanese were led by General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who hid his people well under the ground. There were 21,000 people hiding in 13,000 yards of the tunnel with thousands of cave entrances. They were well prepared for the upcoming onslaught of our combat marines. My dad was with the 3rd Marine Division. who is responsible for the middle of the island. His division was a reserve unit, as they came from a new battle in Guam. Dad, as part of a scout, still came out early to see more action. Fortunately, he made it alive. Sea losses were high. The naval command reported that there were 17,372 wounded in Iwo Jima and 5331 killed. 4th Marine Division. Along the beaches and career zone, while the 5th Marines focused on the mountain Suribachi and nearby beaches. The third division went to the airfields, and their part of the wounded was 4438 and 1131 killed. The whole island was dangerous, and there were many heroes.
The Japanese lost 19,977 people, and 216 soldiers and 867 soldiers were taken prisoner. Another discovery was that the Japanese used Korean slaves to help fight to the end. Kuribayashi asked his people to make final sacrifices to the Emperor and the Japanese people.
After this battle, the next battle was in Okinawa, and then the Japanese mainland was bombed. The Japanese, previously surrendered on September 2, 1945 aboard the ship USS Missouri after the atomic bombs were put on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
