TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Got this in an email today. A little long but worth it! "A Tale of Six Boys" Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable. On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him that we were from Wisconsin. "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story." (James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.) When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.) "My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. "Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old. (He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men. "The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.' "The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken. "The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away. "The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press. "You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain. "When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.' "So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time." Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless. Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshM Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Beautiful...Thanks for sharing it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtBowhunter Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Excellent post, Gunny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" There's going to be a Clint Eastwod directed movie coming out called flasgs of our fathers that follows the lives of these guys after they returned home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Yeah I can't wait to see it. There is supposed to be another one as well except it is going to be a story of the Japanese during the Iwo Jima battle. I want to say both are being directed by Clint Eastwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimfrompa Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Cant add anything to that.... Just THANK YOU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" All i can say is wow. Thanks for sharing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" a wonderful read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" [ QUOTE ] STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice. They were all boys that fought the battle ...boy's, not old men [/ QUOTE ] Thanks Mike .. and thank you, all you young men (boys) out there. You got me crying Mike, and I'm not even an American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaseolus (BeanMan) Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle PAAarcher, I read 'Flags of our Fathers' several months ago so yes, it is out. Beanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Yeah, I read Flags of our Fathers last year. It's a good book. I been to Iwo Jima back in 2001 for a 2 day PME(Professional Military Education). We walked up Mt. Suribachi as well. A couple of the tunnels are open as well but very small and very hot. There is nothing on the island today except a flight line that is used by the military (US and Japanese). There are a few barracks there for the Japanese sailors but that's about it. When you are standing on top of Mt. Suribachi, you can still see the outline of the other 2 airfields. It's pretty cool. I still think we should of kept the island to ourselves though instead of giving it back. Makes me wonder how hard our boys fought there only to give it up twenty years later because of politicians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaseolus (BeanMan) Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle The tale of six boys is a true story written by Michael T. Powers in the year 2000. the only part of the email circuting that is not true is the last paragraph. That wasn't part of the story and has been added by someone else. (From Snopes.com) Beanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Couldn't tell ya. I got it in an email like I said in my original post. It's good reading nonetheless and the story itself is true indeed as far as the six boys go When you say last paragraph, are you talking the last quoted paragraph or the last paragraph itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nut Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Mike, I think I read where Eastwood would have 2 seperate movies with one based on the Japenese side also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaseolus (BeanMan) Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Treestand, According to Snopes it is the very last paragraph. My Father fought as a Marine during the Korean War. BeanMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle [ QUOTE ] Mike, I think I read where Eastwood would have 2 seperate movies with one based on the Japenese side also. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah you probably read it in one of my above posts along with Billkays But yes that is true, there are two movies coming out. One about the US side and one from the Japanese perspective. Should both be pretty good. [ QUOTE ] cause my dad is a x marine [/ QUOTE ] No such thing as an ex-Marine. Just a pet peeve of mine [ QUOTE ] According to Snopes it is the very last paragraph. [/ QUOTE ] If it's the last paragraph your talking about, that looks like something someone just put in there as a "Final thought" maybe There's nothing really not true in that last paragraph. The quoted part was already over. At least that is my understanding of it. I mean someone could have gotten the email and before sending it forward, put in their comments and because it was so good, everyone else may have just left it there because it was true. Your Father fought in Korea. I am reading a book now called "Breakout". It's about the Marines that fought in Korea at the Chosin Reseviour(sp) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nut Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle [ QUOTE ] Yeah you probably read it in one of my above posts along with Billkays But yes that is true, there are two movies coming out. One about the US side and one from the Japanese perspective. Should both be pretty good. [/ QUOTE ] Besides there it was in either Time or Newsweek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle I remeber seeing this awhile back, think through an email. Definately a story to be shared though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaseolus (BeanMan) Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Treestand, Breakout! is one of the most awesome and terrible stories I have ever read. It is sad that most Americans do not know anything about the battles at and around Chosin Reservoir. For those who don't know the story: In a nutshell, 15,000 US Marines are sent inland up a narrow set of mountain passes next to the Red Chinese border in an attempt to end the Korean War. The Chinese enter the war and surround the Marines with up to 80,000 soldiers. It is snowing and down to -40 F at night. The marines fight their way through insurmountable odds back to the coast (70 + miles) carrying all of their wounded, most of their dead, and all of their equipment with them. When I finished the Book I gave it to my Father, he looked at the pictures, handed it back and told me he already knew the story. (He was in on the last battle at Funchilin Pass). Treestand, "Colder Than ****" is another great book about Chosin. BeanMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Hey if you like reading Marine or Military books in general...in which is looks like you do, I can get most of them at a discounted rate for you through the Marine Corps Association. Go to the website, look up the books you want and let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phaseolus (BeanMan) Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 Re: Good read \"A Tale of six boys\" Iwo Jima Battle Thanks Treestand!! I'll check it out. I just thought I better clarify my earlier statement of "not true" The last paragraph of the emailed post did not appear in the original newspaper story. Also the authors name was removed from paragraph two, so what I was really saying was that the guy who wrote it didn't get credited for his thoughts and that they appeared verbatim. Until the last added paragraph, "Let us never forget..." I do agree with the sentiment though. Thanks for your service, Beanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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