Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

A second flag was raised because Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal wanted the original flag as a souvenir after witnessing the first flag-raising ceremony. Colonel Chandler Johnson insisted the flag belonged to his battalion, so Rene Gagnon was sent up with Second Platoon to replace the original flag with a second one for Forrestal. It was during this second flag-raising that Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photograph.

• second flag
• mount suribachi
• joe rosenthal
• secretary forrestal

The six men in Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph were: Mike Strank (Sergeant), John 'Doc' Bradley (Navy Corpsman), Franklin Sousley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Harlon Block. Notably, Harlon Block was initially misidentified as Hank Hansen in the official accounts, which later caused significant conflict with Ira Hayes.

• six men
• flag raising photo
• ira hays
• rene gagnon
• doc bradley
• mike strank
• franklin sousley
• harlon block

Ira Hayes confronted Rene because he insisted he was not one of the men in the photograph. When Rene named Ira among the six flag raisers, Ira became furious and denied his presence. However, Rene ultimately named Ira anyway after being threatened with being sent back to combat, despite Ira's protests.

• ira hays
• rene gagnon
• photograph confrontation
• naming men

Rene Gagnon, tasked with identifying the six men in the photograph, mistakenly named Harlon Block as Hank Hansen. This error persisted in official accounts and caused turmoil when the truth emerged. Ira Hayes knew Hank Hansen was not at the base of the flag and was furious when the false identification was used during the bond tour.

• harlon block
• hank hansen
• misidentification
• photo error

On March 1, 1945, Second Platoon was ambushed by a Japanese machine gun nest. Mike Strank was fatally wounded by friendly fire. Both Hank Hansen and Harlon Block were also killed in the same ambush. These deaths occurred after the iconic flag-raising and devastated the surviving members of their squad.

Foreshadowing: The flag-raising celebration was brief, as the Marines would face a deadly ambush just days later.

• mike strank
• hank hansen
• harlon block
• ambush
• friendly fire
• march 1945

Iggy Ignatowski was captured by Japanese forces during the battle of Iwo Jima. He was brutally killed by the Japanese, adding to the trauma experienced by his fellow Marines. Doc Bradley later visited Iggy's mother after the war but apparently avoided telling her the full truth about how Iggy died.

• iggy ignatowski
• captured
• japanese
• killed
• doc bradley

Ira Hayes struggled with severe alcoholism and survivor's guilt after the war. As a Native American, he also faced discrimination that compounded his difficulties. He was plagued by guilt over his comrades' deaths and resented the hero status imposed on him during the bond tour. His struggles culminated in a public outburst before General Vandegrift, after which he was returned to his unit.

• ira hays
• alcoholism
• survivor guilt
• native american
• post-war struggles

Doc Bradley was the only one of the three surviving flag raisers who achieved financial success after the war. He owned and ran a successful funeral home throughout his civilian life. In contrast, Ira Hayes succumbed to alcoholism and died in 1955, while Rene Gagnon struggled financially and eventually worked as a janitor.

• doc bradley
• funeral home
• post-war life
• rene gagnon
• ira hays

The bond tour created tension primarily because of the lie they were forced to perpetuate about Hank Hansen not being in the photograph. When Doc learned Hank's mother was on the list of deceased flag raisers, Ira condemned the entire bond drive as a sham. Treasury official Bud Gerber warned them that failing to continue would mean their comrades' sacrifices would be meaningless, so they agreed to withhold the truth.

• bond tour
• hank hansen
• lie
• treasury
• propaganda

Yes, Mike Strank was fatally wounded by friendly fire during the March 1, 1945 ambush by a Japanese machine gun nest. He was the first of the three key flag raisers to die, followed closely by Hank Hansen and Harlon Block, all killed in the same ambush.

• mike strank
• friendly fire
• ambush
• march 1 1945

Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi was taken on February 23, 1945, and quickly became a tremendous morale booster for the nation. The imagecaptivated the country and emerged as an iconic symbol of victory. Newspapers across the nation requested prints, and the photograph eventually became the basis for the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial dedicated in 1954.

• joe rosenthal
• photograph
• famous
• marine corps war memorial
• symbol

After being released from jail and struggling with alcoholism, Ira Hayes traveled over 1,300 miles to visit Harlon Block's family. Heconfessed to Harlon's father that his son was indeed at the base of the famous flag, revealing the truth that had been obscured by the misidentification of Harlon as Hank Hansen.

• ira hays
• harlon block
• confession
• visit
• truth