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Conemaugh
Marine who helped raise Flag at Iwo Jima honored
With Hall of Fame induction
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa., July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Marine Sgt. Michael Strank, who helped to
raise the American flag on the Japanese
island of Iwo Jima in 1945, was posthumously inducted into the
Hollidaysburg Veterans Home Hall of Fame during
a ceremony today.
"It is an honor to recognize a veteran such as
Sgt. Strank, who has secured a place in American
history through his participation in the Battle
of Iwo Jima in World War II," said David J.
Langguth, commandant of the home.
"Sgt. Strank
already has been immortalized in the famous
bronze sculpture located in our nation's capitol
and, today, we are proud to memorialize him with
this induction into our Hall of Fame."
Strank was 25 years old when, as a member of the
2ndBattalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine
Division, he landed on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19,
1945.
Strank was one of six American servicemen who
became world famous when they were photographed
hoisting the American flag at Mount Suribachi on
Iwo Jima.
The historic moment is immortalized in a
bronze sculpture in Washington D.C. that
weighs 100 tons and reaches a height of 110
feet. The hoisting of the flag and events
surrounding the lives of Strank and the
others who raised it were the subject of a
book published in 2000 and a Hollywood movie
made by Clint Eastwood six years later. Both
the book and movie were titled "Flags of Our
Fathers."
Born in Jarabenia, Czechoslovakia, Strank lived
in Conemaugh prior to beginning his service in
1939. He was killed by enemy artillery fire in
northern Iwo Jima on March 1, 1945, just 10 days
after helping to hoist the flag.
Strank is a recipient of the following
decorations and medals: the Bronze Star; the
Purple Heart; the Presidential Unit Citation
with one star; the American Defense Service
Medal with base clasp; the American Campaign
Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with
four stars; and the World War II Victory Medal.
Members of the Conemaugh Valley Marine Corps
League Detachment participated in today's
ceremony.
Each of the state's six veterans' homes,
operated by the Pennsylvania Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs, has a Hall of
Fame to recognize and honor the military
achievements of outstanding veterans who have
completed honorable, active-duty military
service and who live or who have lived in the
region served by the veterans' home.
The Hollidaysburg Veterans Home is under the
direction of Commandant David J. Langguth and is
the largest of the state's six veterans' homes,
with beds for 514 eligible veterans and their
spouses.
