'Last Flagraiser' Dies At 86 (Iwo Jima)

[thedrifter]

'Last Flagraiser' Dies At 86 (Iwo Jima)
WCCO.com ^ | 6/25/07 | WCCO.com

Charles "Chuck" Lindberg, the last surviving flagraiser at Iwo Jima, passed away Sunday morning at Fairview Southdale Hospital.

Lindberg helped raise the first American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. His accomplishment was later overshadowed when a replacement flag was raised a few hours later.

He was honored in February 2006 at a military ceremony marking the anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. He also recently attended a groundbreaking ceremony on Memorial Day at the site of a new veterans memorial in Richfield, Minn.

Lindberg's service and legacy as the last living flagraiser was the subject of an award-winning WCCO-TV documentary in 2005.


The funeral will be held later this week at Fort Snelling Chapel.

Lindberg was 86 years old.

Ellie

RIP

[thedrifter]

Last survivor of Iwo Jima flagraising dies in Minnesota...
Jun 25 2007 10:04AM
Associated Press
Last survivor of Iwo Jima flag-raising dies in Minnesota

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) The last survivor of the first American flag-raising over Iwo Jima during World War Two has died.

Charles Lindberg of Richfield, Minnesota, was 86. He grew up in Grand Forks.

Lindberg died yesterday at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina (ee-DYE'-nuh), according to the director of the funeral home that's handling arrangements.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous photograph by Abe Rosenthal of The Associated Press, that raised the first flag over the island.

In the late morning of February 23rd, 1945, Lindberg fired his flame-thrower into enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and then joined five other Marines fighting their way to the top.

He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

After his discharge in January 1946, Lindberg went home to Grand Forks until 1951, when he moved to Richfield and became an electrician.

In an interview with the A-P in 2003, Lindberg recalled two of the men found a big, long pipe there, "tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it." The moment was captured by Sergeant Lou Lowery, a photographer from the Corps' Leatherneck magazine, but three of the six men never saw his photos. They were among the 59-hundred Marines killed on the island.

Last month, Lindberg attended groundbreaking at the site of a new veterans memorial in Richfield.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Ellie

[jinelson]

Semper Fi brother slow hand salute!

Jim

[FistFu68]

OF HIS HONOR AND HIS GLORY,THE PEOPLE WILL SING

[yellowwing]

http://wcco.com/video has a video tribute posted.

Semper Fi Sir!

[BOOGIEMAN44]

SEMPER FI BRO, REST IN PEACE...

[WLHagen]

My mom just called me and told me this. I was honored to have met this man about 5 years ago, and spend a few hours at his home with his lovely wife, Vi.

My hero will be missed. Rest in Peace and Semper Fidelis, Chuck.

[1LONGSHOT]

Semper Fi May you rest in Peace. And know that a grateful nation morn's our loss of a Hero. I will see you on the other side. Semper Fi and god bless to all of our fallen Heroes

[RLeon]

Semper Fidelis, Requiescat in pace, et Dominus tecum.

[thedrifter]

Charles Lindberg; Raised First U.S. Flag at Iwo Jima

By Chris Williams
Associated Press
Tuesday, June 26, 2007; B07




Charles W. Lindberg, 86, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, died June 24 at Fairview Southdale Hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. No cause of death was reported.

Mr. Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island.

In the late morning of Feb. 23, 1945, Mr. Lindberg fired his flamethrower into enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and then joined five other Marines fighting their way to the top. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

"Two of our men found this big, long pipe there," he said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2003. "We tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it.

"Down below, the troops started to cheer, the ship's whistles went off; it was just something that you would never forget," he said. "It didn't last too long, because the enemy started coming out of the caves."

The moment was captured by Sgt. Lou Lowery, a photographer from the Marine Corps' Leatherneck magazine.

Three of the men in the first raising never saw their photos. They were among the more than 6,800 U.S. servicemen killed in the five-week battle for the island.

By Mr. Lindberg's account, his commander ordered the first flag replaced and safeguarded because he worried someone would take it as a souvenir. Mr. Lindberg was back in combat when six men raised the second, larger flag about four hours later.

Rosenthal's photo of the second flag-raising became one of the most enduring images of the war and the model for the U.S. Marine Corps memorial in Washington.

Rosenthal, who died last year, always denied accusations that he staged the photo, and he never claimed it depicted the first raising of a flag over the island.

Mr. Lindberg was shot through the arm March 1 and evacuated. After his discharge in 1946, Mr. Lindberg went home to Grand Forks, N.D. He moved to Richfield, Minn., in 1951 and became an electrician.

No one, he said, believed him when he said he raised the first flag at Iwo Jima. "I was called a liar," he said. In 1954, Mr. Lindberg was invited to Washington for the dedication of the Marine memorial. It carried the names of the second group of flag-raisers, but not the first.

He spent his final years trying to raise awareness of the first flag-raising, speaking to veterans groups and at schools. He sold autographed copies of Lowery's photos through catalogues.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

The First Flag Raised on Iwo Jima
Posted By Pinch Paisley



Charles W. Lindberg passed away. Corporal Charles Lindberg, USMC. Corporal Lindberg was one of the first Marines to reach the summit of Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi during that crucial battle in February of 1945.

Why is this significant? Aside from honoring his service and his contributions to making this nation what it is today, Lindberg and other member of the 2d Battalion, 28th Marines, when they reached the summit, hoisted the Stars and Stripes. This was the first flag to be raised on the summit, donated by the attack transport ship Missoula. The second flag, a larger one that was meant to be seen from the beaches and surrounding areas, was passed up the extinct volcano a short time later. The raising of this second flag is what became the iconic photograph of the war and one of the most famous wartime photographs of all time, taken by Joe Rosenthal.

Lindberg was there first though, and passed away last Sunday, the last living member of that first patrol, led by 1LT Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier.

Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first Americanflag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86. Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funeral Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg’s funeral. Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island. In the late morning of Feb. 23, 1945, Lindberg fired his flame-thrower into enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and then joined five other Marines fighting their way to the top. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

“Two of our men found this big, long pipe there,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2003. “We tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it. “Down below, the troops started to cheer, the ship’s whistles went off, it was just something that you would never forget,” he said. “It didn’t last too long, because the enemy started coming out of the caves.”

Semper Fi, Corporal Lindberg, and God Speed. A grateful nation thanks you for all your service!

Hat tip to reader Kevin with an assist from Michelle Malkin! Thanks, Kevin, for sharing this.

Cross posted at the Instapinch

Read about the first flag raising here.

www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/iwoflag.htm

www.iwojima.com/

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Jun 29, 2007 5:58 pm US/Central
Final Goodbye To 'Last Flagraiser'

(AP) RIchfield, Minn. A funeral was held Friday morning for one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II.

Services for Charles Lindberg of Richfield are started at 11 a.m. at Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel -- with burial in Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Lindberg died Sunday at age 86.

It was Lindberg's patrol that raised the first American flag on Mount Suribachi in 1945 -- not to be confused with the second flag-raising captured in the famous Associated Press photograph.

Ellie

[bearcat1252]

God and Country. Marine Lindberg knew this Truth his whole life.

[WLHagen]

I had to share this.... from the funeral "folder" thingie.....

The Last Roll Call for Chuck

What a wonderous sight, that last formation
when Gabriel blew his horn
and Marines responding to his call
in uniforms faded and torn.
They rise from many distant shores and
double-time up the stair
that will take them to the last formation
and eternity in God's care.
Up there it makes no difference in
the rank you held below -
they line up alphabetically with no
stars and stripes to show.
The First Sargeant will call the roll
as God watches from his throne
and each Marine answers "Here"
has found his final home -
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Okinawa,
and over 6,000 from Iwo Jima alone.
as as the roll is finished
and all the names are in -
the heavenly harps will surely play
our beloved "Marines Hymn"
and our Hymn's final verse comes true
as we look on Heaven's scenes
and see the gates are guarded by the
"United States Marines"

[Ironrider]

Semper Fi Mac...and God Bless.