The Identification of John H. Bradley in the First Flag Raising
Below are a series of images by Dustin Spence that make a compelling case that flag raiser John H. Bradley also took park in the first flag raising on Iwo Jima.
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Below are a series of images by Dustin Spence that make a compelling case that flag raiser John H. Bradley also took park in the first flag raising on Iwo Jima.
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My father Lt. John P. Saylor was the communications officer on the U.S.S. Missoula, the ship that transported the 28th Battalion, 5th Division of the U.S. Marines (including Sgt. Michael Strank, a fellow resident of Johnstown, PA) to Iwo Jima. According to the ship’s log, these Marines were assigned to take Mt. Suribachi. When the Missoula’s Captain challenged Colonel Johnson of the USMC to joist the Stars and Stripes on the summit, my father secured the needed flag and presented it to the departing Marines. This flag, I believe, was the first one raised on Mt. Suribachi as shown in the Lou Lowry photograph.
My father was elected the the U.S. House of Representatives in 1949 and served until his death in 1973. He remained in the Navy Reserves and achieved the rank of Captain. He was a strong advocate for Veterans throughout his service in Congress. Dad will be inducted into the Cambria County PA Veterans Hall of Fame in September.
My great uncle was in the battle of IWO JIMA and he passed a few years ago. I found a photo of the flad rasing. I have also many many more photos from his time there. How to do go about getting these authenticated and find a collector intrested in them?
I have no military, I am sorry to say,and was medically deferred from service duty the year I graduated for high school…1967. My father, Clayton M. Pittman, and his 3 brothers are all gone now and they all did their part either at home, like my father did at Fort Knox as a range instructor, my favorate uncle George Carlyle Pittman did at Okenawa, my 3rd uncle Lovett Henry Pittman in Europe, and last but not least, the youngest of my 3 uncles, Maxwell D. Pittman in Europe as well….
They are all gone now but prior to their leaving us, many years back, I got each of them to tell me stories of their “duties” during and in WW2. I hope to God that our young men today are safe in their duties in our military. It seems like every day something comes out negative about our stance against waring enemy people that want to distroy our wonderful nation….
—-GOD BLESS OUR NATION—-
Prior to the death of a man that I befriended, he told me of his time in the Marines. I am a former marine who shared many similarities with this man (job type, both stationed at Camp Lejeune, and overall comaraderie of being former Marines). I have had the honor of aquiring memorbilia of his from his service. He was in the 1st wave on Iwo Jima. His name was Harold Jewell, Company F, 2nd Bat., 27th Marines, 5th Division. His daughters, who never heard their father utter a word about his time at war, are now desparately seeking information about him and his experiences on Iwo. With only a couple of V-mails and a couple of other papers describing the landing on Iwo, they are left with so many questions. How do I find his complete military record? Possible photos? Like all men that served, Harold is an American hero. His story is worth preserving for his family and friends.
My father was on the LST 809 during the landing at Iwo Jima.Is there anyone out there who served on board with him? His name is Russell Brady and was from Uniontown Pa.He has passed away. He would have been 91 this year.
Thanks and God Bless all of them.
Russ
MR. SHATTO. WOULD MY UNCLE CPL. EUGENE A. CASTANEDA HAPPEN TO BE ON THE UNIT ROSTER 2ND BN. 2/28TH REGT. 5TH MARINE DIV. NOT SURE WITH EASY CO.? WAS AT IWO AND WOUNDED AROUND MAR. 11TH. ANY INFO. WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED ! THANKS ERNIE SIMMONS E-MAIL esimmons18@charter.net
I served in Vietnam and I now own a security company in Sacramento, Cal. I have an employee that hit the beach at Iwo Jima and is still working. He is an outstanding human being and a great Marine….I only hope that one day I can be as good a man as Dale is…Semper Fi Dale Cox…….Dales fate was changed that Feb day when he lost many good Marines….He is my friend and I am very grateful for his service to our Country and Corps….
My Father served on Iwo. Was waounded in action on 21 feb. mortor shapnel to the rt butt cheek. He was a .30 cal light MG crewman.Many years ago on the 50th anniversery of the Iwo battle, PARADE mag. did a story. Capt Severence the E co CO who sent his guys up the mountain had maintain the unit rosters for the Bn. He supplied me with a lot of info. we thought we saw our dad on the gung ho shoot, but Col (ret) Severence, provided me info on my dads wounds and even what LST he arrived on. He never made it off the beach before being wounded and evaced.I have unit muster rolls. I will dig them out and try t find some of the names mentioned above. I just received my dads complete military per file from the NRC. Thanks to Col Severence and all the Marines that sacrficed and served our great country. SEMPER FI devil dogs! I’ll look up on the roster and recontact you later. FYI. If they wernt in Easy Co 2nd Bn 28th Marine Rgt, 5th Marine Div…they wern’t up on Suribachi.
Mr. Shatto: I would gladly pay for your time and effort in supplying me with the muster roll of either E Company or the entire battalion. I am particularly interested in exposing a former Marine who lives near me and claims he was in the 40-man patrol that raised the first flag. As a 22-year retired Marine well-versed in history I have talked with Col. Severance (still alive at 94) and he assures me that the man I am writing about was not in his company nor in the patrol. Unfortunately, Col. Severance does not have the muster rolls of the company or the names of the patrol members. I am currently the executive director of the United States Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association.
You might want to write to leo champagne 2106 thornton terrace the villages, florida 32162 (doesn’t have an e-mail). Leo was in the first group who carried up the first flag. believe he may be the last one living of that first group. he is just starting to come out and speak about this as, feeling, he may be the last man alive, he wants the story to be known. He gave his story at our local rotary group. He has the japanese flag that they found on the ground at the top(blew down after all the bomblings)before they put up the first, smaller American flag. He is thinking of giving it to the marine museum at Quanico, virginia.
charlie couckuyt
My Uncle Howard is definitely the man on the left with his helmet in the air…. My grandmother was married to Patrick’s grandfather…. My dad’s name was Lewis, who was also a WWII vet, and died last year.
David Wood: I just stumbled across your comments regarding your stepfather, George Burns. I knew him well. I worked at a local electronics company (late 1970′s) and used George’s services when he owned Burns Photography on Central Ave. Albany, NY. One day after a long photo shoot in his studio, we had take out dinner brought into his conference room. There, plastered on every wall, were these incridible black and white WWII photos he shot. I was so excited, I called my Dad to come over immediately; he loved to hear war stories. We sat and talked for hours on end. My Dad told George he should write a book. George was gental and unassuming… a very good, genuine person. Do you still have his archive of photos? If so, did you ever consider publishing them in some form?
My grandfather, George William “Bill” Haynes was there. Does this name ring a bell to anyone? He was supposedly carrying the flag at some point.
Does anyone know if one of the men in the group photo may have been Ray King Wilson from Oklahoma? He is listed with this company, but reported killed a few days later, apparently while clearing a landing strip. According to family lore, he helped in the raising. I am looking for any info! thanks
My grandfather is believed to be in the “Gung Ho” photo taken immediately after the 2nd flag raising. Joe Rosenthal took the photo and Bill Genaust captured it on video. Anyone with information about Aubrey Roberts who was part of the 1st platoon, E company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Division please contact me. He was wounded twice the 2nd time seriously on the northwest part of the island on March 11th in the Nishi ridge area.
My Stepfather was an ARMY photographer with photos of the first flag raising. He’s no longer alive, never complained his photos were not used and never complained his name is nowhere in the history books. One of many reason to believe his recalling of the 2nd flag having been requested by Marines atop Mt. Suribachi. George Burns was his name. He explained to Joe Rosenthal the photos of the first flag raising and it was decided to do another with a larger flag. He said the call went down to a Navy ship for a larger flag. It took about 20 minutes or so to reach the top once requested. I’ve seen George in video from the eventful day but never any mention of him, other than “an Army photographer”. He felt it was a Marine event and that may be why the Army guy has been left out of history. (Maybe the Texas School Board had something to do with it?)
I just find it a shame that after all these years the truth is still unknown.
PS The larger flag made a better photo for sure! I own original prints of both flags being raised.
Impresionante lo que hicierón estos hombres, enfrentarse a un enemigo tan duro y fanatico como el japones en suelo sagrado nipon.
Conocà la historia a traves del libro de James Bradley, sabia de esta batalla pero nunca imagine que fue tan terrible. Mi más profundo respeto y admiración a ambos ejercitos. Los americanos por conseguir frenar isla a isla la locura de invasión japonesa y a los nipones por defender hasta el ultimo hombre una isla considerada suelo sagrado nipon.
My husband’s grandfather is in the picture of all the guys smiling and holding up guns. He is still alive today but doesn’t talk about Iwo. He is closest to the middle, smiling and holding up his gun. His name is Earnest (Phil) Phillips. He lives in Birmingham, AL. today.
My grandfather was an Iwo Survivor, there was a picture of hit with a japanese flag… I would love to know more he passed away while I was still pretty young and I really wish I could have had more time with him to hear stories… His name was Taylor Locke if anyone has any information I would really love to hear it.
thanks
-Jason Meredith
My Dad, Herman Fulford, was a Phar. Mate 2nd class. Assignment was LST #731 at The Battle. I never really knew what all those heros experienced except a few letters, a vial of Iwo sand, some Japanese medicine vials, and a photo taken near one of the caves. I only asked him once about Iwo and all he said was,”It was a mess”. Nothing more. Somehow he ended up inland due to a shortage of Corpsman like John Bradley. Such is war. Before he passed, in 1983, he was estatic to know that he was going to have a Grandaughter. Sadly he died two months to the day before she was born. To all “Boomers” from the Great Generation, we must pass on what our parents and relatives accomplished. We owe it to ourselves and future generations of Iwo Heroes.
Hi Connie…my Father was there also, very close by. I’ve been looking through the pictures but probably wouldn’t recognize hime. He survived the war, but not the memories. He committed suicide at 36, five days after my second birthday.
Thanks to all those Iwo vets who fought for all of us in a just cause,what brave people these are to go to war,my uncle is buried in Normandy,thanks again
Long live these guys, these great heroes!
my father andrew h. hansen is also in the photograph of the flag rasing on iwo. he is in the center left portion of the group with his left hand on his knee and his right hand in the air holding what i think is a m-1 carbine.
Pfc Robert Donald Goode of California is my father. He was part of that 40-Marine patrol who scaled to the top of Mt Suribachi. He operated a flame-thrower and was attached to the Fifth Division, 28th Reg., Easy Co., 3rd Platoon. Pfc Donald Jack Ruhl of Montana was one of his best friends. I feel to say that all of our Marines were tremendous heroes, and I am thankful for each and every one of them. If Pvt Ruhl had not taken that enemy grenade in his gut on 21 Feb 1945, which killed him, my father would likely not have survived the war and I would not be sitting here writing about him. Semper Fi to all Marines, and thank you also to the Army units that also served on Iwo Jima during that terrible struggle. God Bless America’s Heroes.
I haven’t been to this website lately. It’s really great and I was just looking at all the photos. My father is in the photo of the 1st Flag Raising. His name is misspelled. Could it be corrected? His name is Pfc. James Michels (there is no “a” in Michels). He is in the foreground with the carbine. Thank you in advance. God Bless all of our servicemen and servicewomen. Semper-fi, Betty Michels-McMahon
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