Retired marine whose troops planted US flag on Iwo Jima dies

The Associated Press ^ | August 6, 2021

[Oldeconomybuyer]

SAN DIEGO — Dave Severance, a retired U.S. Marine colonel whose troops were the first to plant an American flag over the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 102.

Severance died Monday at his home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

On Feb. 23, 1945 about 40 members of Severance’s company were sent up Mount Suribachi with orders to plant the flag.

A short time later, another group was sent up with a second flag to replace the first. That iconic image was captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal who won a Pulitzer Prize.

Severance spent his retirement quietly trying to set the record straight that there were two flag-raisings that February morning in 1945.

Severance retired from the Marine Corps in 1968 following 32 years of service. After leading Marines in WWII, he went on to fly nearly 70 missions in Korea as an aviator.

[Howie66]

Rest in peace, Col. Severance. Semper Fi!

[Michael.SF.]

And those that did, did not fare too well:

The Ballad of Ira Hayes - Johnny Cash

[Laslo Fripp]

Not to quibble, but the memorial is in Virginia.

I had the displeasure of watching BJ Clinton place a wreath there in 1995. There were three of us there, all veterans. We stood as far back as possible, so as not to add to his crowd. We ran out of spit too soon.

RIP, Colonel 🇺🇸

[Allegra]

Rest in Heavenly peace, sir. You have earned it. You spent your time in Hell.

[Dan in Wichita]

I wonder if Sgt. Stryker was in his command. For those of you who may not know, Stryker was a fictional character played by John Wayne in The Sands of Iwo Jima. One of my favorite movies of all time.

Toward the end of the movie, Stryker gets a call from his commanding officer, instructing him that it was time to raise the large U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi. He calls over several Marines, who in real life were some of the men who supposedly raised the flag, gives them the flag with orders to get it raised. My eyes get watery every time.

[Allegra]

Eleanor Roosevelt said:

“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen.”

Love that!

I have had the honor of working with all branches of our armed forces and I love ‘em all (I’m a Navy brat), but the Marines were definitely the most interesting and the most fun.

[rlmorel]

I keep people like this in my memory. When they pass, and I pass... It brings to mind one of my favorite passage, bittersweet and sad from Tales of The South Pacific by James Michener:

"...They will live a long time, these men of the South Pacific. They had an American quality. They, like their victories, will be remembered as long as our generation lives. After that, like the men of the Confederacy, they will become strangers. Longer and longer shadows will obscure them, until their Guadalcanal sounds distant on the ear like Shiloh and Valley Forge..."

It applies to all these men of that generation, not just those of the South Pacific. You could substitute "Schweinfurt" or "Iwo Jima" for "Guadalcanal", and "European Theater" for "South Pacific" and it would mean just the same.

[Allegra]

Your dad was a hero. ♥️

[oh8eleven]

You were America's shining light for decades -
and we could use you again in the coming years.

Semper Fi sir.

[Tomato lover]

“RIP Marine, we thank you for your service to America and to our freedom.”

You said it better than I could, I second your comment.

I’m proud of that Marine.

[TokarevM57]

.....’It is truly the end of an era that so many alive today don’t appreciate.”

Sadly, truer words were never spoken.... if the “baloon went up” today and we were at war with....well, whatever, how many of today’s generation would answer the “call to the colors” as the old expression went...how many Active Duty folks, having been indoctrinated with Critical Race Theory, etc, would say, screw you; I ain’t giving my life for this racist country..... jus’ askin’ .......

[South Dakota]

A guy I knew was a pipe fitter on a navy ship and he received an order for a certain size and length of pipe.

He welded two pieces together and handed it over.

He wondered if his pipe was used for the second flag

[TokarevM57]

.....BJ Clinton is a piece of trash of the first order... I may be wrong, but I believe I read some years ago that that memorial was becoming a meeting-up place for homos...I hope things have changed.....I have worn Navy Blue, Army Green and Air Force Blue, but never Marine Green....but have the highest respect for The Corps....The Proud, The Few.....

[Verginius Rufus]

I think 3 of the men in the famous photo died within days of the flagraising.

My father was in the Marines in WWII and fought on Guam and Okinawa, but not on Iwo Jima. But I did watch The Sands of Iwo Jima with him when it was on TV. He thought it was realistic even if he had not actually been there (the ground conditions--volcanic soil--were much different from Okinawa).

[sergeantdave]

“jus’ askin’ ....”

There’s lots of good, patriotic millennials who will man the line.

If all you read is crap from the Nazi media, you’ll never see the good people.

[stevem]

Your dad was a hero.

Thank you. I always thought so.