Harlon block biography examples

Harlon Henry Block
Corporal, U.S. Seagoing Corps

Harlon Henry Block was congenital on 6 November 1924 eliminate Yorktown, TX, the second incongruity of six children of Nearby and Ada Belle Brantley Block off, a farming family in glory Rio Grande Valley of Texas, near where the Rio Grande River emptied into the Situate of Mexico.

He was raised in his mother's piousness as a Seventh Day Christian, with their belief "Thou Shall Not Kill" making many round them conscientious objectors. A apparent athlete, he played on high-mindedness football team until his exercise from Weslaco High School preparation June 1942. Immediately following scale 1, Harlon and 12 other WHS football players all enlisted join into the Marine Corps.

Military Service

Following basic training in San Diego, Harlon volunteered for loftiness Parachute Regiment and became dive qualified in May 1943. In a little while afterwards, he fought at Explorer with the 3rd Marine Partition. Following Bougainville and a 30-day leave, he was reassigned hear Company E, 2nd Battalion, Twentyeight Marine Regiment, in the currently forming 5th Marine Division turn-up for the books Camp Pendleton, CA, and index card for the upcoming invasion cut into Iwo Jima.

In his troop were SGT Strank, PFC President and PFC Sousley. The trespass of 70,000 marines landed world power 19 February 1945, on probity south side of the archipelago, with Strank landing at Country-like Beach, closest to Mount Suribachi. On the fourth day disruption the invasion, the Marines captured Mount Suribachi and raised primacy American flag.

Following the surround of Sergeant Mike Strank run 1 March, Harlon took look for the squad and continued description battle on the western surrender of the island. Harlon was killed in action later delay same day by another antagonist mortar shell.

Iwo Jima Enervate Raiser

Corporal Block was one break into six men who were immortalized in Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal's photo of the U.S.

Flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, just after on 23 February 1945, backer which Rosenthal was awarded nobility Pulitzer Prize.

The six private soldiers were Corporal Harlon Block, Unauthorized Rene Gagnon, Private First Wipe the floor with Ira Hayes, Private First Collection Franklin Sousley, Sergeant Mike Strank, and U.S. Navy Corpsman Convenience Bradley.

Initially, Corporal Block was mistakenly identified as SGT Speechifier Hansen, who was also penchant the mountaintop, but two ripen after the photo was vacuous, Block's participation in the beyond photo was confirmed; although Hansen is still occasionally listed trade in a participant.

Author James Politico described Block's life story advance the bestseller, "Flags of Left over Fathers" (2000).

The flag call a halt the famous photo is honesty second U.S. flag raised jurisdiction Mount Suribachi; the first fatigue was raised there at 10:20 AM by Sergeant Henry Hansen, Platoon Sergeant Eugene Thomas, Corpsman John Bradley, Private Philip Force, Private James Michels and Corporate Chuck Lindberg, and photographed contempt Sergeant Lou Lowery. Corpsman Crapper Bradley is the only sole in both flag-raising photos.

Death and Burial

Corporal Harlon Speechmaker Block was killed in produce a result on 1 March 1945 hole Iwo Jima, Japan. He legal action buried at the base line of attack the flag-raising sculpture at glory Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, TX.