Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles Blog

Memorial Day - Six Boys And Thirteen Hands

 
Six Boys And Thirteen 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.' 


(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 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 who 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 carried the pain home with him and eventually 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 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 caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in 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.. 

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. 

STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at 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.
Richard Sellers



E-mail
elitesellers@gmail.com
Website
www.arrowheadlifestyles.com
Office Phone
(909) 336-2131
Cell Phone
(909) 553-1897
Fax
(909) 336-2500
Address
27206 Hwy 189, Blue Jay, CA, 92317
Description
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

Real Estate Broker, DRE CA License #01148405

Lake Arrowhead Homes ~ Lake Arrowhead Real Estate ~ Lake Arrowhead Realtor ~ Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge ~ Republican Women of Lake Arrowhead ~ Mt Calvary Lutheran Church ~ Lake Arrowhead Country Club ~ Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club ~ Lake Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyle ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles ~ Lake Arrowhead Realtor ~ Coldwell Banker ~ Arrowhead Lifestyles ~ Lake Arrowhead Lake Front Homes ~ Lakefront ~ Golf Course Lake Arrowhead ~ Lake Arrowhead Blog ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles Blog ~ Lake Arrowhead Dock ~ Rim Football ~ Docks for Sale


1 comment • Rich Sellers Realtor DRE#01148405 • June 01 2010 09:30AM

Meaning of Flag Draped Coffin

Your best choice for a Realtor in Lake Arrowhead, with the Top Real Estate Company on the Mountain... Get The Sellers Advantage.

 

 

[]


 

Meaning of  Flag Draped Coffin


 

All  Americans should be given this lesson.  Those who think that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought.  

Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect  our 'GOD GIVEN' rights and freedoms.


 

Here is how to understand the flag that  laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and  widowers.

Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun  salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the  year 1776?

[]

Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times?  You  probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we  learn something new every day!

The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.

[]

The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.

  []

The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world.

[]

The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine  guidance.

[]

The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, 'Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still  our country, right or wrong.'

[]

The 6th fold is for where people's hearts lie.  It is with their heart that they pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America , and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation  under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they protect  their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of their republic.

[]

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

[]

The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers.  For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been  molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons  and daughters for the defense of their country since they were first  born.

[]

The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King  David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

[]

The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the  Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son  and Holy  Spirit.

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their nations motto, 'In God We Trust.'

[]

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy  today.

There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning.

In the future, you'll see flags folded and now you will know why.

Share  this with the children you love and all others who love what is referred to, the symbol of ' Liberty and Freedom.'

[]

MAYBE  THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD READ THIS EXPLANATION BEFORE THEY RENDER THEIR  DECISION ON THE PLEDGE OF

ALLEGIANCE.

Richard Sellers



E-mail
elitesellers@gmail.com
Website
www.arrowheadlifestyles.com
Office Phone
(909) 336-2131
Cell Phone
(909) 553-1897
Fax
(909) 336-2500
Address
27206 Hwy 189, Blue Jay, CA, 92317
Description
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain."

Real Estate Broker, DRE CA License #01148405

Lake Arrowhead Homes ~ Lake Arrowhead Real Estate ~ Lake Arrowhead Realtor ~ Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge ~ Republican Women of Lake Arrowhead ~ Mt Calvary Lutheran Church ~ Lake Arrowhead Country Club ~ Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club ~ Lake Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyle ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles ~ Lake Arrowhead Realtor ~ Coldwell Banker ~ Arrowhead Lifestyles ~ Lake Arrowhead Lake Front Homes ~ Lakefront ~ Golf Course Lake Arrowhead ~ Lake Arrowhead Blog ~ Lake Arrowhead Lifestyles Blog ~ Lake Arrowhead Dock ~ Rim Football ~ Docks for Sale


2 comments • Rich Sellers Realtor DRE#01148405 • May 31 2010 09:40AM