Welcome to Art's Iwo Jima Flag History Web Page

In Memoriam - Art, World War II and Iwo Jima Veteran

March 16, 1924 - September 3, 1999

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of a true American hero. Semper Fi, Art!!

"To Teach the Dream"

As I sat on your knee long ago

I listened as you spoke of a mortal foe

How scared I was, but enraptured too

To hear you speak of the things that you knew

The sand that you had stepped on had turned blood-red

And you heard the wail "Oh God, he's dead!"

I huddled up close, the tears in your eyes

That poor man never saw the enemy spies

You said that shots rang out through the night

But you would not give up without a fight

How many days you stayed there I'll never know

I'm so glad you're here to watch me grow

Years later you sit here and tell me your tale

I'm proud to know an Iwo Jima vet that will never fail

Amanda Elizabeth, 1998 - Granddaughter

"The Final Inspection"

The Marine stood and faced God, which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining, just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Marine, how shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek? To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns, can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays, and at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent, because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny, that wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime, when the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place, among the people here.

They never wanted me around, except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much, but if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne, where the saints had often trod.

As the Marine waited quietly, for the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you Marine, you've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets, you've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~

Welcome to Art's Iwo Jima flag home page. This is a story by an Iwo Jima survivor and his very special flag.

I am a 75 year old WWII veteran, married 50 years, and have a daughter, two sons, and ten grandchildren. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1/5/44 to 5/13/46. I went through boot camp in San Diego, then to Jacques Farm to study tanks. I left for overseas duty on the 6th of June,1944 and joined the Third Marine Division in August as the first replacement troops while the battle for Guam was still going on, although the island was secured on August 6, 1944.

We left Guam on 2/16/45 aboard LST 477 for Iwo Jima. I was in Ordnance Co., 3rd Tank Bn. In the evening of 2/21/45, our LST 477 was hit by a Kamikaze plane killing six Navy personnel and three Marines. In the same Kamikaze attack, the CVE Bismark Sea was sunk. Other ships damaged were the CV Saratoga, CVE Longa Point, AKN Keokuk, and LST 809. This information was given to me by Lyle Radeleff of "A" Co. 3rd Tank Bn.

I was on Iwo Jima until 3/26/45 then went back to Guam with the 3rd Tank Bn. I was with the 3rd Tank Bn. until the 3rd Division was deactivated on 12/28/45 when Gen. William E. Riley told the Commandant of the Marine Corps "I regret to inform you that the 3rd Marine Division passed out of this world for the time being at least-- at 2400, 28, December,1945." I was then transferred to the 1st Tank Bn., 1st Marine Division, and sent to China. I served in China from 1/5/46 until 4/7/46, then was sent back home and discharged on 5/13/46.

The History of My Iwo Jima Flag

I requested and received this flag through the office of Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde. The flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol on February 23, 1995, which was the 50th anniversary of the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in World War II.

My wife and I took the flag with us on our "Reunion of Honor" trip to Iwo Jima and raised it on Mt. Suribachi on March 14, 1995.

This flag was raised again in front of our home in Des Plaines, Illinois on memorial Day, May 29, 1995 at 11:00 AM. This event and a short history of this flag, along with some original battle scenes of the fight for Iwo Jima was televised on Channel 7, ABC TV, in Chicago, on the 5:00 PM news by reporter Russ Ewing.

On June 14, 1995 at 9:00 AM (Flag Day), this flag was raised at the Civic Center in Des Plaines, Illinois.

On July 3, 1995, members of veteran organizations held a Flag Rally outside of the Art Institute of Chicago to show their support for a proposed Flag Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. My flag, held by my two grandsons, Michael and Matthew, was displayed with a short narration by myself. It was seen on CLTV news that evening.

On July 4, 1995, my flag was the number one entrant in our Des Plaines Fourth of July parade. It was carried again by my two grandsons, Michael and Matthew, who are both Boy Scouts, and my son Michael, who is a scout leader, and myself. My granddaughters Anna and Katy both carried Iwo Jima flag raising posters in the parade.

This flag was requested by Henry J. Gardner, President of the Third Marine Division Association, to be used at the Third Marine Division Reunion in Las Vegas, July 19-23, 1995. It was displayed at the board meeting, the membership meeting, and the Iwo Jima Memorial Breakfast (July 23).

On September 13, 1995, the flag was carried to Washington, D.C., where my wife and I unfurled it on the steps of the U.S. Capitol where it was originally first flown on February 23, 1995. We also displayed it at the Iwo Jima Memorial Monument.

On Flag Day, June 14, 1996, at 12 noon, my flag and its history were honored at a Flag Day ceremony at the Chicago Daley Center. My wife and I displayed the flag and I received the Tom Stack memorial Remembrance Citation award. The award was presented by Thomas J. Day, commander of the Mariner’s Black Sheep Squadron. The main speaker was General William Westmoreland.

On Sunday, May 17, 1997, at 10:00 AM, Armed Forces Day, my flag was raised and flown on the flagpole of the United States Marine Corps War memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Washington, D.C. I had sent a letter to the Commandant in September 1996 requesting permission to fly my flag on the monument. I was contacted by Colonel Kephart to set a date and finalized it with Captain Oster, assistant Operations Officer, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps, Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia.

A certificate attesting to the raising of my flag on this date was issued by Major G.A. Kelling, and an entry attesting to this fact was placed in the Officer of the Day Log Book.

I had also asked for permission to place sand from the beaches of Iwo Jima on or in the Monument, and was directed by Captain Oster to contact Ms. Audrey Calhoun, Superintendent of The National Park Service. After a few phone conversations with Mr. Walter McDowney, Supervisory Park Ranger, I was given a letter dated May 15th, 1997 from the United States Department of The Interior, National Park Service. This letter granted me permission to have sand from the beaches of Iwo Jima poured into the United States Marine Corps War Memorial. This was done by a United States Marine who also raised my flag on the Monument. My flag was raised and the sand was poured by LCPL Ballard Charles and witnessed by Lieutenant Graham, Officer of the Day, and two other Marines.

My flag was then lowered and folded while the Marines were on the base of the Monument. It was then given to the Officer of the Day, who then presented the flag to me with the official certificate attesting to its having been flown over the Monument. The Marines and the Officer of the Day were each given a vial of Iwo Jima sand by me for their participation in this special event.

This event was also witnessed by my wife Mildred and our daughter Sharon, our granddaughter Kathryn, my wife’s brother Frank, and my wife’s cousin Rita. Also present were Art and Barbara Samsoe from New Jersey (Art was in the 3rd Tank Battalion with me on Iwo Jima). In addition, two crew members from LST 477, were present with their wives: Mr. And Mrs. Ken Walters of Boone, Iowa, and Mr. And Mrs. Conrad Bare of Coopersberg, Pennsylvania, as well as their daughter Lynn and her husband.

On Thursday, July 10, 1997, myself, my wife, my daughter Sharon, and my grandchildren Katy, Anna, and Christopher, took a trip to Springfield, Illinois, to have my flag raised over the State of Illinois Capitol Complex.

I had requested and received permission from Ret. General John Johnson, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Veteran Affairs to have my flag flown there.

The Capitol Complex at the Howlett Building has two flag poles - one flies the United States flag and the other the State of Illinois flag, as well as a POW and MIA flag. I was allowed by State Security Officer James Crawford to lower the State flag and POW/MIA flags and raise my Iwo Jima flag. I took pictures and videotaped this event to document this part of my flag’s history.

I received a certificate stating that my flag was flown over the State Capitol Complex, signed by Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan.

On Monday, March 2, 1998 at 0800 hours, my flag was raised and flown on the parade ground of MRCD, San Diego, CA.

I had written a letter to the Commandant, General Krulak, on 12/1/97, seeking permission to have my flag flown on the base. My wife and I were attending the 53rd anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima in Southern California. I was contacted by 2nd Lt. Zachary Jacobson of Media & Community Relations at MCRD and a time and date were established to have my flag flown over the base.

My flag was raised for about two minutes over the base. As my flag was lowered, the base flag was raised. Lt. Col. Wagoner then presented me with a certificate attesting to my flag having been flown over the base. Coincidentally, it was exactly 79 years to the day of the groundbreaking ceremony to construct the MCRD.

I then presnted Lt. Col. Wagoner with a plaque with two small flags, US and Marine Corps, and a vial of sand which my wife and I brought back from the 50th Reunion of Honor on Iwo Jima on 3/14/95. The inscription on the plaque reads "This flag raised on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, March 14, 1995. Part of the sand from this vial was poured into the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima statue) in Washington, D.C., on Armed Forces Day, 5/17/97." The inscription on the back of the plaque reads "This plaque presented to MCRD, San Diego, CA and accepted by Lt. Col. Leonard D. Robert, Assistant Chief of Staff, G2,3. Presented by Art R., WW II, Iwo Jima Marine Ord. Co., 3rd Tank Bn, 3rd Marine Div. Art graduated from MCRD with platoon No. 28 in March, 1944, 54 years ago. This plaque presented in honor of WW II 3rd Div. Marines."

I later met with Lt. Col. Robert at 1300 hours on March 2 and asked if it would be possible for the plaque to be presented to the Command Museum on the base. On March 9 I received a letter from Barbara S. McCurtis, Director of the base Museum, acknowledging receipt of the plaque and assigning Accession No. 1998.0805 to this donation. I signed a Deed of Gift and forwarded it to the Museum Director which officially makes it an artifact of the Museum.

Also present in Col. Robert's office when I presented the plaque was my wife, Mildred, Lora and Lyle Radleff, and Barb and Art Samsoe of Edison, NJ. Lyle is President of the Southern California chapter of the 3rd Marine Division Association, and Art is also a member of the Southern California chapter.

On Flag Day 6/14/98, I had the honor of being present for the Flag Day celebration at the Lansing Veterans Memorial in Lansing, IL. I was invited by Mr. Rich Dominiak, the memorial ceremony coordinator to bring my Iwo Jima flag for a very special raising of the flag.

At this ceremony, seven flags were raised, one for each different war era. The first was for the Revolutionary War, then the Civil War, the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, and all U.N. peace missions.

When the Vietnam and Desert Storm flag was lowered, my flag, along with a United States Marine Corps flag was raised with honor by the members of the South Suburban Chicago Detachment of the Marine Corps League. A 21 gun salute to Old Glory was performed by the League. My wife and many members of my family were present at this ceremony. While my flag was flying my daughter Sharon gave a short narration of my flag's history.

I received a letter to certify that my flag was flown with honor on the Lansing Veterans Memorial, signed by Mr. Rich Dominiak. I also received a Citation of Appreciation from Mr. Chip Stricker, VP, for displaying my flag. Below is a picture of my flag flying above the USMC flag (center pole) in Lansing.

On Sunday, February 28, 1999, my flag was raised with honor on the Iwo Jima Monument located in Cape Coral, Florida at the Veterans Memorial Park. I had sent a letter to the Florida National Senior Vice Commandant, Mr. Ralph Fredette and he in turn had Marine James Zarb, Commandant, Lee County detachment #060 Marine Corps League get in touch with me via e-mail. A date and time was set with the help of Jim Zarb and his senior VP Joe Marino and his son. My flag was raised at 10:00 AM on Sunday, February 28, 1999. Last year on February 22, 1998, this Iwo Jima monument was rededicated by the Lee County Marine Corps League.

My reason for requesting to fly my flag on this monument was because it is one of three monuments built by Felix DeWeldon that are 1/3 the size of the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) in Arlington, VA. The second one is in Quantico, VA at the gate to the base and the other one is in Parris Island. At the Marine Corps Military Academy in Harlingen, TX is a monument that was also built by Felix DeWeldon and using the same castings that were used to build the monument in Arlington, VA.

In the picture below are myself, my wife Mildred, Jim Zarb, and Joe Marino.

Flag Day June 14th, 1999

On Monday June 14th, 1999, at 0800 morning colors, my Flag was raised and flown on the Iwo Jima Monument at the main gate of the Quantico Marine Base. I had sent a letter on 4-21-99 to the Commandant's Office requesting permission to have my Flag raised and flown on this monument. This information was faxed to the base and on 5-12-99 I was contacted by Col. C.l.. Scovel, who is the Provost Marshal, who informed me it would be OK. The flag raising was turned over to Sgt.Maj. Lonnie D. Martin who then arranged for a morning color ceremony on Flag Day.

After my Flag was raised and flown, it was lowered and folded by Marines of the ceremonial platoon who then presented it to Sgt.Maj. Martin. A certificate signed by Col. Leif H. Hendrickson, Commander, MCB Quantico, and my Flag were returned to me by Sgt.Maj. Martin stating that the Flag was raised and flown on this day. Present at this ceremony were my wife, Mildred, my daughter Sharon and two granddaughters, Katy and Anna. Also present were Barb and Art Samsoe (another Iwo Jima veteran) who came down from New Jersey for the ceremony.

After the ceremony we were invited to meet with Col. Leif Hendrickson in his office at which time pictures were taken. We were then given a guided tour of the base by Lt. Kelly Dunbar and invited to have lunch at the Quantico Club.

The following are official Marine Corps photographs taken by LCPL Hensley:

The following picture was taken by my granddaughter Katy:

Quantico, VA, Marine Corps staff: L to R - Lt. Kelly Dunbar, Art Samsoe, Col. Leif Hendrickson, Art, Lt. Col. Peter Whitenack, Sgt.Maj. Lon Martin, Capt. Robert Hallett

Semper Fi!

You can e-mail Art's family at:

SmokeyMike@aol.com

Date Last Revised May 11, 2021