Michael Strank

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Michael Strank
Michael Strank, U.S. Marine Corps in 1939
Native name	Михал Стренк
Birth name	Mykhal Strenk
Born	(1919-11-10)November 10, 1919 Jarabina, Czechoslovakia (present-day Slovakia)
Died	March 1, 1945(1945-03-01) (aged 25) Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Japanese Empire  †
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division
Battles / wars	World War II Pavuvu Battle of Bougainville Solomon Islands campaign Battle of Iwo Jima  †
Awards	Bronze Star (1+1"V") Purple Heart Combat Action Ribbon

Michael Strank (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945, born Mykhal Strenk)^[a] was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. 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.^[1] Before Iwo Jima, Strank served with the Marine Raiders in the Battle of Bougainville.^[2]

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

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