[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                REMEMBERING JOHN H. BRADLEY ON FLAG DAY

                                 ______


                             HON. TOBY ROTH

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 8, 1994

  Mr. ROTH. Mr. Speaker, on June 11, Appleton, WI, will hold the 
Nation's largest Flag Day parade in honor of Mr. John H. Bradley, a 
naval hero of World War II. Mr. Bradley was the last survivor among the 
six American servicemen who raised the United States flag on Iwo Jima 
in the unforgettable 1945 Pulitzer Prize winning photograph.
  The successful invasion of Iwo Jima marked the beginning of the 
United States Forces freeing the South Pacific from Japanese 
occupation. This epic battle was won with the staggering cost of 6,821 
American lives.
  Twenty-one years old and a Navy pharmacist's mate second class, Mr. 
Bradley was one of the many heroes of those fateful 4 days of the 
invasion of Iwo Jima. Rushing to the aid of wounded solders, Mr. 
Bradley saved the lives of many servicemen. These actions alone make 
John Bradley a hero. Yet Mr. Bradley is remembered more vividly for his 
actions after the battle was won.
  Along with five Marines, Mr. Bradley raised an American flag on the 
top of Mount Suribachi, the highest point on Iwo Jima. This heroic 
scene was captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. As 
every school child who visits Arlington Cemetery knows, this scene 
became the model for the Iwo Jima Memorial. The image of John Bradley 
and the other five Marines struggling to raise the American flag has 
served as a symbol to remember the bloody battles that Marines, 
soldiers, sailors, and airmen have endured in all of the United States 
wars.

  Even though Mr. Bradley is a national hero, he was known for his 
modesty as much as his valor. In a documentary in 1985, Mr. Bradley 
recalled, ``I just think that I just happened to be at a certain place 
at a certain time and anybody on the island could have been in there 
and we certainly weren't heroes.''
  Another place that John Bradley was greatly loved and respected was 
at home with his family in Antigo. Mr. Bradley passed away on January 
11, 1994. Consequently the Bradley family, the people of northeast 
Wisconsin, and the citizens of the United States lost a hero who will 
be missed, but never forgotten.
  When John Bradley's hometown, Appleton, WI, hosts its 44th annual 
Flag Day parade in his honor and the crowd cheers Old Glory up and down 
College Avenue, let us remember the American flag that John Bradley 
raised in victory on battle-scarred Iwo Jima. And may we remember the 
servicemen, like John Bradley, of whom Adm. Chester W. Nimitz said, 
``Uncommon valor was a common virtue.''

                          ____________________