America. I was born in America. I was educated in America. My parents were part of the Greatest Generation. I grew up loving America and giving my loyalty to America. When another nation picked a fight with us, everyone stepped up to show their love and devotion to AMERICA. We didn’t have any American flag on the ground being burned. I think everyone at one time, or another had someone who has given their life to keep America free.
What has happened to us? I watch the news on TV and see so much negativity about our country. What has happened to us? Our loyalty is in decline, truth is what you wish to make it, free speech is being challenged, Christianity is on a decline, our 225-year-old laws and the Constitution are in question.
There are 114 cemeteries worldwide that have American men and women who have sacrificed their very own lives so we can enjoy our unique country and what our forefathers gave to us.
Here is a true story I hope will put that “fire” into your heart for our nation:
My name is Michael Powers from Clinton, Wisconsin. Each year my school sends the eighth graders to Washington D.C. Our last morning there, we got on our school bus and went to the Iwo Jima Memorial. It is a bronze statue of six American soldiers raising the American flag. It is one of the largest bronze statues in the world. Over 100 students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at we were from. We all said… “Clinton, Wisconsin.” He said, “My name is James Bradley and I’m from Wisconsin also! I’m here to speak to a group tomorrow at this memorial. I just wrote a book called Flags of Our Fathers. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.” He turns and points at one of the 6 boys and says, “That’s my dad.”
He looked at our teacher and said, ‘If you have time, let me tell their story. It’s all about those six boys you see behind me…six boys raised our American flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the battle on the island of Iwo Jima, which is in the Pacific Ocean.’
Pointing to the bronze, ‘This first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. He was an all-state football player. He and every senior guy on the football team joined the Marine Corp. They were off to play a new kind of game. This new game was called “WAR.” Harlon was only 21 and died on that island. You need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.
He pointed to the next soldier. And said, “This next guy is Rene Gagnon. This boy was only 18 and carried a photo of his girlfriend in his helmet to bring him luck because he was scared… He was from New Hampshire. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys…not old men.”
Pointing to the next statue, this was Sargent Mike Strank. Mike was their hero…they called him the “old man” because he was age 24. He knew that he was their hope of survival…Mike would tell them, “You do what I say, and I’ll get you home to your mothers.”
This next fellow was Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona, age 21. Ira Hayes survived Iwo Jima and went to the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, “You’re a hero!” Later he told reporters, “How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the beaches with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?” Ira died ten years later an alcoholic.
This next boy is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky, age 19. He was a fun-loving hillbilly boy, always into mischief. Franklin died on Iwo Jima. They say that when the telegram was delivered to his mother at their farm, the neighbors could hear her screams all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter mile away.
As he stood beneath the last of the six, he pointed and said, “This is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad would never talk about Iwo Jima or any other part of the war. If anyone called for an interview, I was to tell them he was in Canada fishing! Dad would tell me… “I want you to always remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back.” My dad was a medic and probably held 200 men as they died. There were over 7000 of our young boys who sacrificed their lives in probably the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. They died so we Americans can live free and enjoy our life.”
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. We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget all the wars that sacrifice was made for our freedom.
He then turned to the teacher (who was in tears) and said, “I thank all of you for listening to my story,” and turned and walked away.
In closing, I would like to say I am 88 years old and as I look back on my life, I can only say my generation has failed many of our youth in teaching them what we Americans have taken for granted and that’s love of our great country. I can only hope and pray that my children, grandchildren and, yes, great grandchildren will be able to enjoy the America I love.
