There was a fascinating documentary on the Smithsonian Channel depicting the crusade to properly identify the 6 Marines who were in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.
For almost 70 years there was confusion and error in identifying the flag raisers. Seems two of the guys identified were not involved. Further complicating the identification was 3 of the Marines did not survive the battle.
The first controversy arose when Ira Hayes insisted the man at the base of the flag was his buddy Harlon Block who was killed. Since the Marine Corps had already officially announced the identities, Hayes was ordered to be silent. After the war, he hitch hiked to Texas to visit Block's mother and told her her son was involved. She contacted her Congressman, and a subsequent investigation verified that Block was one of the 6.
That moved Corpsman Bradley to another position, but in the early 2000's a couple WW2 buffs studies the photograph and determined there was no Navy Corpsman in the photo based on his clothes and equipment.
By studying other photo's and movie clips taken on site at the same time, they determined that Bradley was not in the photo but the 6th Marine was actually Harold Schultz, who never claimed his spot and never mentioned it until he said in passing to his step daughter at dinner that he was one of the flag raisers. He worked in a California post office in obscurity by choice.
A subsequent second investigation verified the 6 once and for all, and the Marine Corps made it official.
Quite the forensic detective story, all spurred by a couple of amateur history buffs and an investigative reporter from Nebraska!
If the show replays sometime, it is well worth the watch.
For almost 70 years there was confusion and error in identifying the flag raisers. Seems two of the guys identified were not involved. Further complicating the identification was 3 of the Marines did not survive the battle.
The first controversy arose when Ira Hayes insisted the man at the base of the flag was his buddy Harlon Block who was killed. Since the Marine Corps had already officially announced the identities, Hayes was ordered to be silent. After the war, he hitch hiked to Texas to visit Block's mother and told her her son was involved. She contacted her Congressman, and a subsequent investigation verified that Block was one of the 6.
That moved Corpsman Bradley to another position, but in the early 2000's a couple WW2 buffs studies the photograph and determined there was no Navy Corpsman in the photo based on his clothes and equipment.
By studying other photo's and movie clips taken on site at the same time, they determined that Bradley was not in the photo but the 6th Marine was actually Harold Schultz, who never claimed his spot and never mentioned it until he said in passing to his step daughter at dinner that he was one of the flag raisers. He worked in a California post office in obscurity by choice.
A subsequent second investigation verified the 6 once and for all, and the Marine Corps made it official.
Quite the forensic detective story, all spurred by a couple of amateur history buffs and an investigative reporter from Nebraska!
If the show replays sometime, it is well worth the watch.
