Franklin Sousley
Franklin Sousley | |
---|---|
5th Marine Division | |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Purple Heart Medal Combat Action Ribbon |
Franklin Runyon Sousley (September 19, 1925 – March 21, 1945) was a
The first flag raised and flown over the mountain at the south end of Iwo Jima was regarded to be too small to be seen by the thousands of Marines fighting on the other side of Iwo Jima, so it was replaced on the same day by a larger one. Although there were photographs taken of the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi after it was captured, there was no single photograph taken of Marines raising the flag. The second flag raising became famous and took precedence over the first flag raising after the photograph of it appeared worldwide in newspapers. The second flag raising was also filmed in color.[2]
The
Early life
Sousley was born in
World War II
U.S. Marine Corps
Sousley received his draft notice, and chose to join the
Battle of Iwo Jima
Private First Class Sousley landed with his unit at the southeast end of Iwo Jima near Mount Suribachi which was the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines objective on February 19, 1945, and fought in the battle for the capture of the island.
First flag-raising
On the morning of February 23, Lieutenant Colonel
Second flag-raising
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Moments_after_the_second_flag_raising%2C_February_1945.jpg/200px-Moments_after_the_second_flag_raising%2C_February_1945.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/USMC-00932.jpg/220px-USMC-00932.jpg)
Lt. Col. Johnson decided that a larger flag should be taken up and flown on Mount Suribachi after he determined that the battalion's flag was too small to be seen by the thousands of Marines fighting on the other side of the mountain. Around noon, Marine Sergeant Michael Strank, a squad leader of Second Platoon, Easy Company, was ordered by his Company Commander Captain Dave Severance, to take three Marines from his rifle squad and raise a larger flag on top of Mount Suribachi. Sgt. Strank chose Corporal Harlon Block, Private First Class Ira Hayes, and Pfc. Sousley. On the way up the four Marines took telephone communication wire (or supplies). Private First Class Rene Gagnon, the Second Battalion's runner (messenger) for Easy Company, was ordered by Lt. Col. Johnson to take the replacement flag up the mountain and return with the first flag.
Once on top, Sgt. Strank ordered Pfc. Hayes and Pfc. Sousley to find a steel pipe to attach the replacement flag unto. A Japanese iron pipe was found and the flag attached to it. As Sgt. Strank and his three Marines were about to raise the flagstaff, he yelled out to two nearby Marines to help them raise the heavy flagstaff. Under Lt. Schrier's orders, Sgt. Strank, Cpl. Block (incorrectly identified as Sgt. Hansen until January 1947), Pfc. Hayes, Pfc. Sousley, Private First Class Harold Schultz,[6] and Private First Class Harold Keller[7] raised the second flag at approximately 1 p.m. as the first flagstaff was lowered. Pfc. Schultz and Pfc. Keller were both members of Lt. Schrier's patrol. Due to the high winds on Mount Suribachi, Navy Corpsman John Bradley helped some Marines make the flagstaff stay vertical. Afterwards, rocks were added to the bottom of the flagstaff which was then stabilized by three guy-ropes. The second raising was immortalized by the black-and-white photograph of the flag raising by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press; On June 23, 2016, Harold Keller was identified as Sousley in the photo and Sousley was identified as Navy Corpsman John Bradley in the photo (Bradley was no longer determined to be in the photo).[6] Marine photographer Sergeant Bill Genaust also filmed the second flag raising in color.[2]
On March 14, another American flag was officially raised up a flagpole by two Marines under the orders of Lt. Gen. Holland Smith during a ceremony at the
Death
On March 20, 1945, the Marine Corps was ordered by President
Pfc. Sousley's body was buried at the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, on March 25, 1945. A service was held there in the morning of March 26 by the division's surviving Marines, which included Ira Hayes and other members of Sousley's platoon and company before they departed Iwo Jima the next day. Sousley's remains were reinterred on May 8, 1948,[1] in Elizaville Cemetery in Fleming County, Kentucky.
Marine Corps War Memorial
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Raising-the-Flag.jpg/220px-Raising-the-Flag.jpg)
#1, Cpl. Harlon Block (KIA)
#2, Pfc. Harold Keller
#3, Pfc. Franklin Sousley (KIA)
#4, Sgt. Michael Strank (KIA)
#5, Pfc. Harold Schultz
#6, Pfc. Ira Hayes
The Marine Corps War Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia, was dedicated on November 10, 1954.[9] The monument was sculpted by Felix de Weldon from the image of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi. Due to some incorrect identifications of the second flag raisers, Sousley is depicted as the third instead of the fifth 32-foot (9.8 M) bronze statue from the bottom of the flagstaff since June 13, 2016 (Harold Schultz is depicted as the fifth bronze statue).[6] The Memorial was turned over to the National Park Service in 1955.
During the dedication,
- In Honor And Memory Of The Men of The United States Marine Corps Who Have Given Their Lives To Their Country Since 10 November 1775
Portrayal in film
In the 1961 film The Outsider, starring Tony Curtis as Ira Hayes, the fictional character James B. Sorenson (Hayes's Marine buddy in the movie), portrayed by actor James Franciscus, was a composite based primarily on Franklin Sousley.
In the 2006 film
Military awards
Sousley's military decorations and awards:
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Purple Heart Medal
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Combat Action Ribbon[14] | Navy Presidential Unit Citation |
American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one 3⁄16" bronze star
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World War II Victory Medal |
- Rifle Expert Badge (BAR)
- Rifle Marksman Badge (M1)
Note: The Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal required 4 years service during the World War II time period.
Honors
There is a small Franklin Sousley memorial in the Fleming County Public Library, in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. Additionally in Flemingsburg, there is the Franklin Sousley Museum located at Camp Sousley.[15]
The VA medical center in Lexington, Kentucky was renamed for Franklin R. Sousley in 2018.
See also
- Marine Corps War Memorial
- Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
- Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima
References
- ^ a b "Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > People > Who's Who in Marine Corps History > Scannell - Upshur > Private First Class Franklin Runyon Sousley".
- ^ a b c You Tube, Smithsonian Channel, 2008 Documentary (Genaust films) "Shooting Iwo Jima" [1] Retrieved March 14, 2020
- ^ "Marine Corps University > Research > Marine Corps History Division > People > Who's Who in Marine Corps History > Scannell - Upshur > Private First Class Franklin Runyon Sousley".
- ^ [2] Rural Florida Living. CBS Radio interview by Dan Pryor with flag raiser Ernest "Boots" Thomas on February 25, 1945 aboard the USS Eldorado (AGC-11): "Three of us actually raised the flag"
- ISBN 978-1-7334294-3-6. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d USMC Statement on Marine Corps Flag Raisers, Office of U.S. Marine Corps Communication, 23 June 2016
- ^ "Marines correct 74-year-old Iwo Jima error". NBC News. 16 October 2019.
- ^ The Mighty Seventh War Loan: "Keep Him Flying || Bucknell University". Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
- ^ The Marine Corps War Memorial Marine Barracks Washington, D.C.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-7334294-3-6. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Memorial honoring Marines dedicated". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. November 10, 1954. p. 1.
- ^ "Marines correct 74-year-old Iwo Jima error". NBC News. 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Marine monument seen as symbol of hopes, dreams". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. November 10, 1954. p. 2.
- ^ Combat Action Ribbon (1969): Retroactive from December 7, 1941: Public Law 106-65, October 5, 1999, 113 STAT 508, Sec. 564
- ^ "Camp Sousley | In Honor of Franklin Sousley". campsousley.com. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
External links
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