Mr. Glenn McDuffie........

[Doc]

Great post Scott. If current generations really knew the sacrifices that were made to provide them with this inheritance, perhaps they'd be more diligent/vocal/active in preserving it. My mother sat at home worrying about her brothers who were in the war and she sent me this:


MY BROTHER, JERRY, WAS AT THE BASE OF THE HILL WATCHING THE FLAG RAISING ON IWO. HIS BEST FRIEND, RICHARD SHELLEY, WAS KILLED IN THAT BATTLE. RICHARD WAS LIKE A BROTHER TO ME. HE DIED WITHOUT A MARK ON HIM. HE WENT TO BRING BACK A WOUNDED BUDDY AND WHEN HE RAISED UP WITH HIS BUDDY ON HIS BACK A GREAT BLAST KILLED HIM BY CONCUSSION.

WHEN I SEE THESE FOOLISH LIBERALS THROWING AWAY THEIR FREEDOMS WITH BOTH HANDS...I THINK OF THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID FOR THOSE FREEDOMS !!! IT BREAKS MY HEART. "THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO".
SHIRLEY


original message --------

SIX BOYS AND 13 HANDS

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 take 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 cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'

(It was James Bradley who 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 had 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 from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington , DC , but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words 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 people 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 - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.


(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. It was just boys who 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 was one of them who lived to walk 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 carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, 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 70, 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 neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors 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, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver. On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died on Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the 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 current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom...please pray for our troops.

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also ...please pray for our troops still in murderous places around the world.

STOP and thank God for being alive and being free due to someone else's sacrifice.


God Bless You and God Bless America ...


REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.


One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is . . that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.

[Caspers2SSRS]

Those responsible for our Freedoms shouldn't ever be forgotten. Thanks for keeping their memories alive with tributes to these fine American's in stories like these............

[lawman007]

Thank you for the stories. A lot comes to mind when I hear the stories and sacrafices made for freedom. For my part the sacrifice I made was insignificant compared to those that sacrificed all they had, and all they were ever going to have. For me I try not to take my freedoms for granted as I knew it very well could have been me sacrificing all I had(and gladly, knowing I would have had a hand in eliminating tyrany in any form). I only wish those trusted with leading our country could remember and understand the sacrifice for freedom and liberty made on their behalf. It makes me sad and a little angry to see those sacrifices stepped on and trodden underfoot by those in leadership with little understanding, no caring and much selfishness. May America always enjoy Liberty and freedom! God Bless America! Thanks again!!!
Troy Lawson

[TJ91]

wow that is truly an AMAZING story.
Great thread as always Scott.

[emin7]

Incredible post Mr Settlemire.

As for Glen and all of our veterans and current men and women in service- Thank you.

[panther2469]

Great story

[speedster]

Thank You so much for posting Scott. We often times forget of where we are today based on what happened in the past and especially WWII. Most don't realize how very different our lives would be if the war had not come out the way that it did.

That being said I wanted to send a special shout out to my father today. He was born 83 years ago on this day - May 21, 1928. He served in the Marines in WWII. I too remember his stories of serviceman that had been swept off of shipdecks during storms. I remember him saying how they would tie ropes around each other in case someone went over.

Last summer he gave my son the hat that he kept in his pocket throughout his service. When my son asked about the (blood) stains that were still slightly visible my father just said "sorry" things happen. No fanfare. No anything. It was a different generation and pride and integrity are strong. So if you see a veteran give them a big "Thank You".

[RSokie]

Scott what a great story of the great american soldier. He has done more in his lifetime than many ever will, he is a true treasure for all americans to have and should be honored to meet him.
The greatest generation is leaving in numbers too hard to comprehend, our elderly are such treasures with amazing stories and I love them all. If we could only pattern our lives after these folks our nation would be a much better place to live today.
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS....AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[Ruffian118]

Wonderful story, Scott! For me, that photo represented the youth of my parents, and the sheer joy they must've felt to the end of a horrendous period in their lives. The media of the time never depicted the atrocities those men and women witnessed or endured in fighting for freedom.

My father never shared much about his time in the military (Air Force) and being stationed in London. And to this day, I regret never having asked him more about that period of his life. You never appreciate what you have til it's gone.

For all those who have served, and will continue to serve our country, thank you! You are truly this country's greatest asset.

[HDRDTD]

Pardon my story but I've never been very good at being able to exprees my feelings in words on a piece of paper.

I have a terrible time understanding just how for all time, soldiers everywhere decide to VOLUNTERILY join the service, and fight our wars for US knowing there's a good chance they will make the ultimate sacrifice, and do it willingly, day in and day out, while the majority of us sit at home watching TV and wondering when someones going to bring us a beer.

I cannot explain just how greatfull I am every day for the men and women that CHOOSE to put their lives on the line for us.

We owe them so much we can never repay them.

thank you will never be enough, but I do from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

[scruffyluv]

To those who served before me, to those who serve with me, and to those who will serve after me, God Bless you all.

Scott, Doc, I am humbled.

Petty Officer First Class Virginia L Embleton
United States Navy

[DavidRS]

Thanks so much for sharing this with us, very interesting , thanks to all our veterans, dmc

[ron10]

scott you could have been a writer.love to read your posts.truly hope to meet you one day.

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by Doc

Great post Scott. If current generations really knew the sacrifices that were made to provide them with this inheritance, perhaps they'd be more diligent/vocal/active in preserving it. My mother sat at home worrying about her brothers who were in the war and she sent me this:


MY BROTHER, JERRY, WAS AT THE BASE OF THE HILL WATCHING THE FLAG RAISING ON IWO. HIS BEST FRIEND, RICHARD SHELLEY, WAS KILLED IN THAT BATTLE. RICHARD WAS LIKE A BROTHER TO ME. HE DIED WITHOUT A MARK ON HIM. HE WENT TO BRING BACK A WOUNDED BUDDY AND WHEN HE RAISED UP WITH HIS BUDDY ON HIS BACK A GREAT BLAST KILLED HIM BY CONCUSSION.

WHEN I SEE THESE FOOLISH LIBERALS THROWING AWAY THEIR FREEDOMS WITH BOTH HANDS...I THINK OF THE PRICE THAT WAS PAID FOR THOSE FREEDOMS !!! IT BREAKS MY HEART. "THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO".
SHIRLEY


original message --------

SIX BOYS AND 13 HANDS

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 take 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 cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'

(It was James Bradley who 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 had 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 from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington , DC , but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words 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 people 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 - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.


(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. It was just boys who 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 was one of them who lived to walk 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 carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, 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 70, 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 neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors 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, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver. On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died on Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the 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 current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom...please pray for our troops.

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also ...please pray for our troops still in murderous places around the world.

STOP and thank God for being alive and being free due to someone else's sacrifice.


God Bless You and God Bless America ...


REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.


One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is . . that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.

Wow -- Doc - what a GREAT story - and I'm so glad you posted it - because I'd never heard the stories about those young men at Iwo Jima -

This illustrates my point - HOW do we ensure that America NEVER FORGETS???



You know... - I'd love to get everyone in the Camaro Community to start flying the American Flag (......and for our Canadian neighbors..... the Canadian Flag) every day........

After 9/11 it seemed that seeing so many Flags being flown was a 'salve' for the wounds.......and yet so many people stopped flying them after a year or so.........why?

My father has always flown the flag - 24/7/365......and when I would purchase a new home, one of the first things I'd do is go to the store and purchase a flag and pole - along with a light to keep it illuminated at night......

How 'bout it Camaro Comrades???