Flag over Iwo Jima: how a Ukrainian immigrant became a hero of American history

On February 23, 1945, the Americans managed to take Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a Japanese island. It was then that five American infantrymen and one sailor raised the American flag over the island. The senior rank among the standard bearers was Sergeant of Ukrainian origin Michael Strenk.

Photo: Shutterstock

This historical event was immortalized by Associated Press war correspondent Joe Rosenthal. The photo, which has become iconic, is equivalent in its significance to the United States to the raising of the flag over the Reichstag for the USSR. For his photo, Rosenthal was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the highest journalistic award in the United States. It raised a wave of patriotism and instilled faith in the approach of victory, writes "Historical Truth".

Battle of Iwo Jima

For the United States, the Pacific was the main theater of operations in World War II. The Japanese strategic airfield was located on the island of Iwo Jima. In the fall of 1944, the command of the US Pacific Fleet began planning an operation to capture the island. For the Americans, the island was supposed to become an airbase that would allow bombers to be sent deep into Japan with a full bomb load and accompanied by fighters. Capturing this island would have ended Japanese raids on the Mariana Islands, destroyed Japanese radars and Tokyo's warning system for the approach of B-29. Therefore, the battle for the island was inevitable.

On February 16, 1945, fierce battles broke out for Iwo Jima. On February 23, the Americans managed to take the strategic height of the island - Mount Suribachi. That's when five American infantrymen and one sailor raised the American flag. Senior in rank among the illustrious standard bearers was Sergeant Michael Strenk.

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Michael Strenck's story

Michal Strenk was born in 1919 in the village of Oryabin (now it is the territory of Czechoslovakia). The parents of the future hero were from Lemkos, who at that time, along with all Western Ukrainians, were called Rusyns. In August 1922, the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania. Since then Michal has become an American Michael.

After high school, Michael joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, an agency that organized camps for unemployed and low-income Americans, carried out public works, and implemented large-scale infrastructure projects commissioned by the government.

In this job, Strenk worked for 18 months, during which he was accustomed to wearing a uniform and discipline. With the outbreak of World War II, many American youth agreed to volunteer for the army, writes memory.gov.ua.

Michael Strenk joined the Marine Corps on October 6, 1939, in Pittsburgh. After completing the Young Fighter Course at Marine Corps Base Parris Island in December, Strenk was assigned as a Private to the Marine Corps Postal Service.

Photo: wikipedia.org, public domain

Prior to the entry of the United States into World War II, Strenk served in various units of the Marine Corps, including at Guantanamo Bay and at New River Air Force Base in North Carolina. He was awarded the rank of corporal in April 1941 and the rank of sergeant in January 1942. In early April 1942, Strenk was sent to the Pacific Front.

As part of the Naval Raiders, a newly formed elite unit for offensive and sabotage operations, Strenk took part in the fighting in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island. In January 1944, Strenk received a short leave, during which he was able to see his family. Upon returning from vacation, he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division. The regiment was created in February 1944 from the Marine Corps units that took part in the hostilities on the Pacific Front and disbanded due to heavy losses. As part of his new unit, Strenk was trained at the Camp Pendleton military base and in Hawaii. In the Battle of Iwo Jima, the 5th Marine Division was the main strike force for the Allies.

A few days after planting the flag on Iwo Jima—March 1, 1945—Strenk died in battle for that island. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear; it is reliably known that Strenk died from a shell explosion during artillery shelling. The question remains open about the possible death of Strenk as a result of “friendly fire” from an American warship, at the moment when Michael approached the Japanese positions to reconnoiter the area. According to another version, the sergeant died as a result of enemy fire from mortar crews of the Japanese army. Strenk was buried at the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, and his remains were reburied at Arlington Cemetery on January 13, 1949, he writes. Wikipedia.

Memory

Strenk has received several U.S. military honorary awards posthumously. Joe Rosenthal's photograph served as the basis for the Marine Corps Memorial sculpture by Felix de Weldon. The memorial was unveiled at Arlington Cemetery on November 10, 1954, on the 179th anniversary of the creation of the United States Marine Corps. By a mystical coincidence, this was the 35th birthday of Michael Strenck, who was also born on November 10th.

Formally, at the time of his death, Michael Strenk was not a citizen of the United States. Under US law, he had to obtain citizenship automatically after his father was naturalized in 1935 and his mother in 1941. But Michael himself never received a certificate of citizenship. This fact was highlighted in 2008 by Marine Corps Sergeant Matt Blaise, who served in the guard of the US Embassy in Slovakia. Blais has filed a petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services. On July 28, 2008, Michael's certificate of citizenship was presented to his sister Mary, in a ceremony at the Marine Corps Memorial.

In 2006, Clint Eastwood directed The Flags of Our Fathers, starring Canadian actor Barry Pepper. The film is based on the book of the same name co-authored by James Bradley (son of John Bradley) and Ron Powers.

In the state of Pennsylvania, in the suburb of Franklin Borough, where Strenko spent his childhood and youth, a memorial sign was erected in his honor. Also in Pennsylvania, the bridge over the Little Conemo River is named after him.

On February 16, 2015, to the 70th anniversary of the event, in the city of Uzhgorod (Ukraine) near school No. 4, a mini-sculpture of Michael Strenka was installed (sculptor M. Kolodko)

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York.

The fate of photography

The story with the photo had an unpleasant continuation - Joe Rosenthal was accused of staging the plot. Allegedly, the photograph was not a real recording of the raising of the flag, but a staged one. In fact, events developed as follows. Indeed, Rosenthal removed the raising of the second flag - the first one the soldiers had installed at this place several hours earlier. But there were no staged photos either.

The fact is that the army leadership decided to replace the first flag, which hung for only two hours, with another - more, which would be visible from all corners of the island. It was this moment that Rosenthal photographed. That is, the photo was not staged, no one posed on purpose. Joe Rosenthal just happened to be in the right place at the right moment with his camera.

The photo conveyed a whole range of emotions - victory, sacrifice, patriotism and fortitude of American soldiers. Less than 26 hours later, the photograph was published by almost every newspaper in the United States. The effect was unexpected: in a country mortally tired of war, the photo caused a real surge of patriotism and enthusiasm. Admired by the courage and heroism of their soldiers, the Americans began to buy war bonds en masse. The country's military-industrial complex received $XNUMX million in a few days, writes "Ukrainian interest".

In the battles for Iwo Jima, about 7000 American Marines laid down their lives. The losses of the Japanese amounted to 20 thousand. Only three of the six heroes of Rosenthal's photograph survived the war: Rene Gegnon, Harold Schultz and Ara Gaze.

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