Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima
Encyclopedia
Shadow of Suribachi: Raising The Flags on Iwo Jima (1995) is a book by Parker Bishop Albee, Jr. and Keller Cushing Freeman which mainly examines the controversy over the identification of the Marine at the base of the flagpole in Joe Rosenthal
's Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
photograph.
and John Bradley
as participating in the replacement flagraising.
knew that it was actually Corporal Harlon Block
in the photograph, and tried to bring the misidentification to the attention of the Marine Corps, but was told that since both Hansen and Block were dead, he should let it go. Their story differs from that of most Hayes biographers as they transcribe a letter which Hayes wrote to Belle Block (Harlon's mother) on July 12, 1946, confirming it was Harlon in the photograph (after she first wrote to him). They do not mention the "hitchhiking to Texas to tell them the truth" story.
After Belle Block sent Hayes' letter to her congressman, he called on the Marine Corps to investigate the matter. Hayes gave a sworn affidavit
to Marine Corps investigators in December 1946, stating on the record that it was actually Block in the photograph, not Hansen, and pointed out several significant uniform discrepancies between the figure in the famous photograph and that of Hansen in photographs taken earlier that day and in the "Gung Ho" photograph taken only moments after the second flagraising.
Before seeing Hayes' hand-written notes and identifications on the photographs, both Bradley and Gagnon sent notarized statements reaffirming their earlier identification of Hansen. After being shown Hayes' material, Bradley wrote a letter to the investigators which he ended by saying, "...it could be Block." Hayes' material and Bradley's letter were then sent to Gagnon, who, according to this book, gave in and acquiesced in a letter, the first paragraph of which was copied word-for-word from Bradley's.
Albee and Freeman conclude that it is ultimately impossible to tell, based only on the photographic evidence, who is at the base of the flagpole.
Joe Rosenthal
Joseph John Rosenthal was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima. His picture became one of the best-known photographs of the war.-Early life:Joseph Rosenthal was born on...
's Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.The photograph was extremely...
photograph.
Overview
Though they cover and debunk the various staging myths that have haunted the famous photograph, much of the book is devoted to the story of Sergeant Hank Hansen, a Marine who was photographed in the first flagraising, and who was initially identified by Rene GagnonRene Gagnon
Rene Arthur Gagnon was one of the U.S. Marines immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's famous World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.-Early life:...
and John Bradley
John Bradley (Iwo Jima)
John Henry "Jack" "Doc" Bradley was a United States Navy corpsman during World War II, and one of the six men who took part in raising the Flag on Iwo Jima...
as participating in the replacement flagraising.
Ira Hayes Questions Misidentification
Recounted is the story of how Ira HayesIra Hayes
Ira Hamilton Hayes was a Pima Native American and an American Marine who was one of the six men immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Arizona, and enlisted in the Marine...
knew that it was actually Corporal Harlon Block
Harlon Block
Harlon Henry Block was a United States Marine during World War II. Born in Texas, Block joined the Marine Corps in November 1943 and subsequently saw action during the Battle of Bougainville and the Battle of Iwo Jima where he was killed in action...
in the photograph, and tried to bring the misidentification to the attention of the Marine Corps, but was told that since both Hansen and Block were dead, he should let it go. Their story differs from that of most Hayes biographers as they transcribe a letter which Hayes wrote to Belle Block (Harlon's mother) on July 12, 1946, confirming it was Harlon in the photograph (after she first wrote to him). They do not mention the "hitchhiking to Texas to tell them the truth" story.
After Belle Block sent Hayes' letter to her congressman, he called on the Marine Corps to investigate the matter. Hayes gave a sworn affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
to Marine Corps investigators in December 1946, stating on the record that it was actually Block in the photograph, not Hansen, and pointed out several significant uniform discrepancies between the figure in the famous photograph and that of Hansen in photographs taken earlier that day and in the "Gung Ho" photograph taken only moments after the second flagraising.
Before seeing Hayes' hand-written notes and identifications on the photographs, both Bradley and Gagnon sent notarized statements reaffirming their earlier identification of Hansen. After being shown Hayes' material, Bradley wrote a letter to the investigators which he ended by saying, "...it could be Block." Hayes' material and Bradley's letter were then sent to Gagnon, who, according to this book, gave in and acquiesced in a letter, the first paragraph of which was copied word-for-word from Bradley's.
Conclusion
On January 15, 1947, the investigating committee found that the figure at the base of the flagpole in the photograph had been "incorrectly identified since April 8, 1945, as being Sergeant Henry O. Hansen." Furthermore, they stated that "to the best of the ability of the Board to determine at this time, the above-mentioned figure is that of Corporal Harlan [sic] H. Block."Albee and Freeman conclude that it is ultimately impossible to tell, based only on the photographic evidence, who is at the base of the flagpole.