“February 18: “Five hundred Jews married to Christians are seized throughout Germany and deported to the Theresienstadt,”
The destruction of Dresden allows Victor Klemperer, a relative of the conductor, a WWl hero married to a Christian, who had survived WWll living in Dresden to escape from this edict. “I WILL BEAR WITNESS, a diary of the Nazi Years, 1942-1945.”
At the second raising of a flag on the peak, Joe Rosenthal photographed five Marines:
Ira Hayes, born January 12, 1923, died January 24, 1955 (would have been 22 on February 23, 1945, would be 92 today)
Mike Strank, born November 10, 1919, died March 1, 1945 at Iwo Jima (would have been 25 on February 23, 1945, would be 95 today)
Rene Gagnon, born March 7, 1925, died October 12, 1979 (would have been 19 on February 23, 1945, would be 89 today)
Harlon Block, born November 6, 1924, died March 1, 1945 (would have been 20 on February 23, 1945, would be 90 today)
Franklin Sousley, born September 19, 1925, died March 21, 1945 (would have been 20 on February 23, 1945, would be 90 today)
and
U.S. Navy corpsman John Bradley, born July 10, 1923, died March 21, 1945 (would have been 22 on January 1, 1994, would be 92 today) raising the United States flag on the fourth day of the battle (February 23).
[It appears that John Bradly was the only one who raised both the first andsecond flag]
On February 23, Bradley and another navy corpsman, Phm2c Gerald Ziehme,[2] were part of the 40-man combat patrol led by 1st Lt. Harold Schrier of E Company that successfully climbed up Mount Suribachi to capture the summit and raise the American flag. Bradley was one of those that helped secure the [first] flagpipe in the ground after it was raised and planted.