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Ever Faithful


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ever-faithful-n2546892

Gil Gutknecht

May 26, 2019

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It is impossible for us to imagine what it was really like to have been locked in a desperate fight on that small island in the Pacific. When they mustered out as Marines, they were young and idealistic. When they hit the beaches at Iwo Jima, most were still in their teens. After the guns finally went silent, the survivors were men. Men as hard as diamonds. They had seen and done unimaginable things. They changed the course of the war and were themselves, forever changed. 

We are left to wonder if the War Department understood the enormous price that would be paid to take that small island. Most of the names of those boys have been lost to history. The Marine Corp War Memorial is a monument to their courage and sacrifice. Just north of Arlington Cemetery stands the sculpture created by artist Felix de Weldon, himself a Navy man. It features six Marines raising the flag over Mount Suribachi. They represent all the Marines who have sacrificed for us. 

It is appropriate that we pause and reflect on that sacrifice this Memorial weekend. Our thanks to James Bradley of Antigo, Wisconsin. In Bradley’s book, Flags of our Fathers he tells the stories of those young men. For decades, it was reported that his father John was one of the six flag raisers. The Brass pulled the rug out, concluding that his father was not among the six in the iconic photo well after his book became a best seller. 

(Snip)

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