READ IT, DAMMIT!!! - The Firearms Forum

rooter · 11-13-2003, 02:20 PM

A TALE OF SIX BOYS

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I bring some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?

I told him that we were from Wisconsin.

"Hey, I'm a cheesehead, too! Come gather around, Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story."

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said...which was recorded on my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight which we received that night.)

When everyone had gathered around, he began to speak ... reverently. (Here are the words which he spoke to us that night.)

"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers" which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

"Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game.

Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out...I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.

(He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

"The next guy here...the third guy in this tableau, was sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

"The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.'

He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32...ten years after this picture was taken.

"The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 80, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night."

'Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbours could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbours lived a quarter of a mile away.

"The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until
1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.'

My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

"You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.

"When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'

"So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget: from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom.

Remember to pray for this great country of ours and also pray for those who are still involved in the murderous unrest all around the world. STOP and thank God for living free because of someone else's sacrifice. God Bless You.

Marlin · 11-13-2003, 03:44 PM

Thank you, Chief,

If everyone else is like I, they won't be able to finish this without tears and a heartfelt prayer on their breaths before they finish.

SouthernMoss · 11-13-2003, 07:13 PM

Thanks for taking the time to transcribe his remarks and share them with us, Chief. They are very moving and powerful.

Hope 69/70 · 11-13-2003, 11:19 PM

Thanks Chief for posting the story.

Perhaps someone will come on board and learn something from your story they never knew before.

Hope

rooter · 11-14-2003, 04:10 AM

Yeah Pilgrims, kinda thought those words would reach out there and grab you by your throat---wish more would have read it--perhaps I should put it up where the 'lurkers' can partake. James Bradley was being interviewed the other day---think it may have been on IMUS IN THE MORNING---anyway he was talking about his new book and I've committed that I must get it. The title is FLYBOYS and from the interview some stories are almost paranormal/spiritual in their content. Don't read much anymore---used to read three books a week when I was working nightshift---doesn't sound like work you say---actually that was when I was working in the powerplant/boilerroom---you know those stories they tell about boilerrom ops----ain't always glamorous and daring I must admit. Rewiew that book of FLYBOYS on your website--if you read it, let me know your opinion, please. I am so busy making the memory boxes and John's Angels, I have to come into the house every now and then and intro myself to the wife. Enjoy the season Dear Friends and fellow vets---the gaily decorated homes and shops---the kiddies with their parents---everyone hustling around, scuffling for the bucks to spend on shooping for their loved one---nice time of year---remember how much you missed that and home when duty called---bet those troopers over there in the sand dunes miss home more than anything---what's the saying, DIFFERENT WAR, SAME FOXHOLE!! Chief

rooter · 11-14-2003, 04:29 AM

Secret Tale Of WWII 'Flyboys'

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2003

"Flyboys" (Photo: Little Brown & Co.)

(CBS) Best selling author James Bradley last inspired readers with the story about the soldiers responsible for the famous flagraising on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. The image remains an indelible part of American culture.

In his new book, "Flyboys," Bradley revisits WWII with the tragic tale of eight pilots shot down over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima in 1944.

Bradley stopped by The Saturday Early Show to discuss the event that, until now, remained a secret for almost 60 years.

The author explains that all eight Navy and Marine airmen died gruesome deaths. But one airman who was also shot down escaped capture, eventually rising to the highest rank of American government. That airman was President George H. W. Bush.

Bush and Bradley recently traveled back to the place where the former president, then a 20 year-old fighter pilot, narrowly escaped death. Chichi, Bradley says, is now an island paradise where visitors enjoy scuba diving and whale watching.

Read an excerpt from "Flyboys":

Go down to goggle and enter FLYBOYS to read the lengthy excerpt. Chief

Admin · 11-27-2003, 10:00 PM

Thanks Chief,

I hope that more will read this post!

JD

Milos · 03-04-2004, 09:29 PM

"Perhaps someone will come on board and learn something from your story they never knew before."

They didn't teach me this in school. Thank you.

berto64 · 03-05-2004, 01:06 AM

This moves me every time I read it, chief.

Thanks again.
berto

11-13-2003, 02:20 PM	#1
rooter VMBB Senior Chief Of Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Marty Robbins old hometown, Glendale Arizona--a suburb of Phoenix. Contributor Posts: 9,269	READ IT, DAMMIT!!! A TALE OF SIX BOYS Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I bring some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable. On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from? I told him that we were from Wisconsin. "Hey, I'm a cheesehead, too! Come gather around, Cheeseheads, and I will tell you a story." (James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said...which was recorded on my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight which we received that night.) When everyone had gathered around, he began to speak ... reverently. (Here are the words which he spoke to us that night.) "My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers" which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. "Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out...I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old. (He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men. "The next guy here...the third guy in this tableau, was sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.' "The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32...ten years after this picture was taken. "The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 80, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night." 'Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbours could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbours lived a quarter of a mile away. "The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. "You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain. "When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.' "So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time." Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless. We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget: from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray for this great country of ours and also pray for those who are still involved in the murderous unrest all around the world. STOP and thank God for living free because of someone else's sacrifice. God Bless You. __________________ -->

11-13-2003, 03:44 PM	#2
Marlin TFF Admin Staff Chief Counselor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: At SouthernMoss' side forever! Contributor Posts: 13,853	Thank you, Chief, If everyone else is like I, they won't be able to finish this without tears and a heartfelt prayer on their breaths before they finish. Attached Images __________________ *The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.* *The only criminal class native to the United States is Congress.*

11-13-2003, 07:13 PM	#3
SouthernMoss Admin Tech Staff Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SW MS Contributor Posts: 10,651	Thanks for taking the time to transcribe his remarks and share them with us, Chief. They are very moving and powerful. __________________ My Second protects your First "I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand." - Susan B Anthony

11-13-2003, 11:19 PM	#4
Hope 69/70 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 2,549	Thanks Chief for posting the story. Perhaps someone will come on board and learn something from your story they never knew before. Hope __________________ WAC - HQ. USARV / G1, Long Binh - Feb 69 - Feb 70

11-14-2003, 04:29 AM	#6
rooter VMBB Senior Chief Of Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Marty Robbins old hometown, Glendale Arizona--a suburb of Phoenix. Contributor Posts: 9,269	Secret Tale Of WWII 'Flyboys' NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2003 "Flyboys" (Photo: Little Brown & Co.) (CBS) Best selling author James Bradley last inspired readers with the story about the soldiers responsible for the famous flagraising on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. The image remains an indelible part of American culture. In his new book, "Flyboys," Bradley revisits WWII with the tragic tale of eight pilots shot down over the Pacific island of Chichi Jima in 1944. Bradley stopped by The Saturday Early Show to discuss the event that, until now, remained a secret for almost 60 years. The author explains that all eight Navy and Marine airmen died gruesome deaths. But one airman who was also shot down escaped capture, eventually rising to the highest rank of American government. That airman was President George H. W. Bush. Bush and Bradley recently traveled back to the place where the former president, then a 20 year-old fighter pilot, narrowly escaped death. Chichi, Bradley says, is now an island paradise where visitors enjoy scuba diving and whale watching. Read an excerpt from "Flyboys": Go down to goggle and enter FLYBOYS to read the lengthy excerpt. Chief __________________

11-14-2003, 04:10 AM	#5
rooter VMBB Senior Chief Of Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Marty Robbins old hometown, Glendale Arizona--a suburb of Phoenix. Contributor Posts: 9,269	Yeah Pilgrims, kinda thought those words would reach out there and grab you by your throat---wish more would have read it--perhaps I should put it up where the 'lurkers' can partake. James Bradley was being interviewed the other day---think it may have been on IMUS IN THE MORNING---anyway he was talking about his new book and I've committed that I must get it. The title is FLYBOYS and from the interview some stories are almost paranormal/spiritual in their content. Don't read much anymore---used to read three books a week when I was working nightshift---doesn't sound like work you say---actually that was when I was working in the powerplant/boilerroom---you know those stories they tell about boilerrom ops----ain't always glamorous and daring I must admit. Rewiew that book of FLYBOYS on your website--if you read it, let me know your opinion, please. I am so busy making the memory boxes and John's Angels, I have to come into the house every now and then and intro myself to the wife. Enjoy the season Dear Friends and fellow vets---the gaily decorated homes and shops---the kiddies with their parents---everyone hustling around, scuffling for the bucks to spend on shooping for their loved one---nice time of year---remember how much you missed that and home when duty called---bet those troopers over there in the sand dunes miss home more than anything---what's the saying, DIFFERENT WAR, SAME FOXHOLE!! Chief __________________

11-27-2003, 10:00 PM	#7
Admin Site Network Webmaster Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Site Control Panel Posts: 11,654	Thanks Chief, I hope that more will read this post! JD

03-04-2004, 09:29 PM	#8
Milos Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 12	That was me "Perhaps someone will come on board and learn something from your story they never knew before." They didn't teach me this in school. Thank you.

03-05-2004, 01:06 AM	#9
berto64 VMBB Admin Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Owyhee County, Idaho Contributor Posts: 7,385	This moves me every time I read it, chief. Thanks again. berto __________________ Be who you are & say what you will, Those that matter won't mind and those that mind don't matter. I'm a bitter clinger, One Nation Under God.