Bonus 78 years Ago Today

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...p3480638-1.jpg

My cousin was there, he was in the 5th Marines forward observation and he was 18 years old

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Originally Posted by RCS

My cousin was there, he was in the 5th Marines forward observation and he was 18 years old

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did he ever share any of his experiences?

He never talked about it until they had a forty year reunion. After that he talked about it, he carried a Winchester Model 12 shotgun in a
forward observation post. They also directed naval fire. He said you could hear the Japanese under his foxhole. He spent thirty one days there and
never got hurt but had bad nightmares for many years. He said every morning there were new dead bodies everywhere, the fighting went on
night and day. He saw the flag going up, everyone saw it. They were then sent to Nagasaki as occupation troops. He said they were allowed to
pick out two Japanese rifles to send home in a wooden box. i have these two type 99 rifles now and have fired them years ago with Norma cartridges

I have an earlier flag raising photo with the smaller flag signed by Charles W Lindberg, an authentication certificate is on the back of it and it was expensive I remember that. I bought it many years ago believing the stories of the two flag raising ceremonies on the same day at a sale on USAF Mildenhall. Wonder what it is worth?

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Originally Posted by RCS

He said you could hear the Japanese under his foxhole.

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That would keep you from sleepin' regularly.

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Originally Posted by RCS

He never talked about it until they had a forty-year reunion.

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Uncle Al Was D-Day +1 29th Reconnaissance Troop - he would never speak of what he saw - wounded the morning of the st lo breakout

Here is the photograph I bought with authentication on the back. Fully understand Admirals wanting the biggest flag raised to show such a great achievement and moral booster, but as I understand it, the guys who raised the first flag in the morning never got a mention in history, perhaps someone who knows the true facts could respond. So many lives for that objective.

HERE is an article on the Marines Site acknowledging the flag raising in your photo above as the first and listing the participants.

Bob

I had a neighbor Ted Folari who was in that first detail that raised the small flag. He remembers Lt Schrier taking it out of his pack. Ted was still on the top when the famous second flag was raised but he was about 50 yards away guarding the perimeter against the occasional Japs still alive in holes.