aww man I didnt know it had been 60 years since my most famous relative

[JohnKleeb]

died. It was 60 years ago on the 1st. Anyhow RIP Sgt Mike, youre my hero and I will visit you at Arlington.

The guy whose hands you can only see, well hes my relative, Mike Strank.
He was killed by friendly fire of all things.

[MrScorpio]

1. My Great Uncle is buried there too

Joe Louis

[JohnKleeb]

2. My grandfather loved Joe Lewis

He's a big boxing fan as am I.

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. The boxer?

Ok, now I'm outa here, because I don't have any famous relatives (dead or alive) to add to this thread.

[MrScorpio]

10. The one and only

See the resemblance?

[Reverend_Smitty]

12. The resemblance is uncanny...

seriously...wow!

[Worst Username Ever]

21. Actually, yes I do see the resemblance.

That is cool, Mr. Scorpio.

[skygazer]

3. That's very cool, Kleeb

That's a great picture, isn't it? I seem to recall that only two of the guys survived the war. Nasty business.

I have my great great grandfather's officer's belt buckle from his Civil War uniform. Colonel Robert Nugent was the commanding officer of the 69th New York Volunteers, the lead regiment of the Irish Brigade. Every time I touch that buckle, it brings me into contact with the past, with history. Intense...

[JohnKleeb]

5. It was three guys actually

Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and John Bradley, Bradley though is the only one who really lived a stable life after the war. Hayes became an alcoholic and died in 1955. Gagnon had problems with his wife and died suddenly of an heart attack. Bradley got his own business and had a big family and died about ten years ago, his son wrote "Flags of Our Fathers" possibly the best book I have on the men who were the flagraisers.

[skygazer]

8. Yes, that's right

I read the book a while back - it was very good.

[JohnKleeb]

9. It makes me think of my godmother

who was my grandmother's sister, Strank was from Johnstown as are both my mom's parents, and my godmother contracted leukemia a few years ago and she bought the book and loaned it out to me, well she died sadly.

[1monster]

16. "The Ballad Of Ira Hayes"

"The Ballad Of Ira Hayes"

Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes


Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian
A proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years
The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped

Now Ira's folks were hungry
And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed


Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again

And when the fight was over
And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes


Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian
No water, no crops, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance


Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Then Ira started drinkin' hard;
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone!

He died drunk one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes


Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died

[Swede]

6. John stop that.

I could tell stories about my dad.

[JohnKleeb]

7. Sorry

Just got me thinking looking at my bookshelf.

[Worst Username Ever]

11. Jesus, you are related to Sgt. Mike Strank?

On edit, read Flags of Our Fathers if you have not already. Written my the son of Bradley. GREAT.

[JohnKleeb]

19. Yes its one of my favorite books

Yes, I am related to him through my mom's mom.

[mark414]

13. have you read 'flags of our fathers'?

it's all about that group of guys...wow i know all about him

[Worst Username Ever]

14. Lol check my post, great book.

Sgt Mike was a true Marine, what a story.

[JohnKleeb]

15. Yes

[mark414]

17. damn that is pretty cool kleeb

you're lucky to have a guy like him in your family

[JohnKleeb]

20. I know

Hes such a hero.

[Worst Username Ever]

18. Mike

[JohnKleeb]

22. That was taken at Bouganville I believe

I believe my aunt knows Mike's youngest sister. Its a distant relativeness but its pretty much confirmed that we are related. Did you read about Alex Yarina, Vasil Strank's uncle, Alex Yarina was my grandma's neighbor growing up. My great uncle also got in to a little teasing match with Pete Strank later in life.

[Worst Username Ever]

23. I'm not sure that he was killed by friendly fire...

He's your relative, but my understanding was that he was killed while drawing a map in the sand my an enemy bullet. No?

[JohnKleeb]

24. The book says it was a US destroyer remember

"No Japanese could take credit for this kill, it hit Mike right where he gave it the most, the heart", god the death of Mike scene in that book makes me cry.

[Worst Username Ever]

25. Yep I forgot that part

The erant shell. Quite a leader. You have quite a legacy to uphold, Mr. Kleeb. My gramps trained people how to do bomber runs in B-29s. He was never allowed to learn the identities of the people he trained but he is pretty sure he trained the enola gay. Not sure if I am proud of that or not but I am certainly proud of my gramps.

[JohnKleeb]

26. Yeah its only a distant relative though

but Ive been to Johnstown a few times and its really sad, it was once quite a town. Now no one in my family lives there really except some distant relatives.

[Swede]

27. Life is cheap. Momma I have no words,

Tommorrow,the guns