Michael Strank

Michael Strank (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

On March 21, the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines was detached from the 1st Marine Division and attached to the newly created 3rd Marine Brigade.

In August, the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines was detached from the 3rd Marine Brigade and reassigned to the 1st Marine Division; also during August, the 22nd Marine Regiment relieved the 7th Marines which were ordered to reinforce Marine units fighting on Guadalcanal; a battalion of the 22nd Marines relieved the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines on Urea.

In September, after a short time with the 22nd Marines, Sgt. Strank was transferred to the newly organized 3rd Marine Raider Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harry B. Liversedge; D Company, 3rd Raider Battalion was organized on Urea and joined the rest of the 3rd Raider Battalion at Pago Pago, American Samoa on December 21.

Sgt. Strank returned to duty in San Diego and was assigned to Second Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, as a squad leader.

Strank attended the public schools of Franklin Borough and graduated from Franklin Borough High School in 1937.

He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, served for 18 months, and afterwards became a Pennsylvania state highway laborer.

Strank enlisted in the Marine Corps at Pittsburgh for four years service on October 6, 1939.

He was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina.

He completed recruit training in December and was transferred to Headquarters Company, Post Troop and then to Provisional Company W at Parris Island, on January 17, 1941.

Private First Class Strank sailed for Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, arriving on January 23, 1941.

He was reassigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Brigade (on February 1, the 1st Marine Brigade was redesignated the 1st Marine Division).

On April 8, now assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, he returned to the United States and was sent back to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

He was promoted to corporal on April 23, 1941.

In September, Cpl. Strank moved with the 1st Marine Division to New River (North Carolina) (Camp Lejeune), which is where he was stationed when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred.

On January 26, 1942, Cpl. Strank was promoted to sergeant.

In January and February 1943, the 3rd Raiders were sent to Espiritu Santo (Camp Rennie), New Hebrides, Islands and Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands.

As a member of the 3rd Raiders using 10-man rubber boats in their first offensive action, Sgt. Strank (D Company) participated in the unopposed landing operations and occupation of Pavuvu (Operation Cleanslate) in the Russell Islands from February 21 to March 18, 1943.

On March 19, the battalion left the island and returned to Guadalcanal and Espiritu Santo (Camp Rennie) on March 20.

On May 1, D Company was designated as M Company, 3rd Raider Battalion, 1st Marine Raider Regiment, 1st Marine Amphibious Corps.

On November 1, 1943, the 2nd and 3rd Raider Battalions spearheaded the initial invasion of Bougainville by the 3rd Marine Division.

Sgt. Strank, M Company, 3rd Raiders, landed on Green Beach #2 at Cape Torokina and participated in the seizure and occupation of Empress Augusta Bay (Operation Cherryblossom).

He was one of the Marines who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Of the six Marines depicted in the photo, Strank was the only one to be correctly identified from the beginning; the other five were either assigned the wrong locations (Ira Hayes and Franklin Sousley), or, were given the names of Marines who were not in the photo.

The first flag raised over Mount Suribachi at the south end of Iwo Jima was deemed too small.

Later that day, Strank, a rifle company squad leader in the 5th Marine Division, was ordered up the mountain with three Marines to raise a larger flag.

A photograph of the second flag-raising became famous and was widely reproduced.

The second flag raising was also filmed in color.

Before Iwo Jima, Strank served with the Marine Raiders in the Battle of Bougainville.

The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, was modeled after Rosenthal's photograph of six Marines raising the second flag on Iwo Jima.

Michael Strank was born in a Rusyn family in the Prešov village of Orjabyna in the Czechoslovak Republic (today it is a district Stará Ľubovňa, Jarabina), Prešov Region of northeastern Czechoslovakia (now in Slovakia).

His two brothers, Petro and John, and his sister Mary were born in the United States to Vasil Strenk (later, in the U.S., known as Charles Strank) and Marta Grófiková, Rusyn immigrants.

In his application for American citizenship, Vasil Strenk's father indicated the nationality of his family as Ruthenian.

Vasil Strank moved to Franklin Borough (near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States), found work in the coal mines for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, and brought his family to Pennsylvania three years later, when he could pay for their voyage.

In early April, he was sent with the battalion to San Diego, California and deployed on April 12 (sailed April 13) to Samoa arriving in American Samoa on April 28; the 7th Marines were ordered to Samoa.

On May 31, his battalion was transferred to Wallis (Urea) Island.

On January 12, the 3rd Raiders were removed from the combat zone and returned to Guadalcanal, arriving on January 14.

On February 1, the 1st Marine Raider Regiment was redesignated the 4th Marine Regiment.

The 3rd Raider Battalion was disbanded and designated the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment.

On February 14, Sgt. Strank was sent to San Diego and allowed a leave to visit his family.