[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 33 (Thursday, February 26, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING HARLON BLOCK, ON THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF IWO 
                                  JIMA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FILEMON VELA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2015

  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor South Texas native 
Harlon Block. Seventy years ago, he was one of six men who were part of 
an iconic photo that would lift the spirits of an entire nation--the 
raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima.
  Born in Yorktown, Texas, in 1924, Corporal Block later moved with his 
family to Weslaco, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
  Harlon Block attended Weslaco High School, where he led the Weslaco 
Panther football team to a conference championship and was named All 
South Texas End. Before the end of his senior year, Corporal Block and 
seven of his teammates enlisted in the Marine Corps. As a result, the 
school accelerated their studies and held a special early graduation 
ceremony in January 1943.
  Harlon Block left for Marine Corps basic training in February 1943, 
and he then attended parachute training school. Corporal Block was 
assigned to the First Marine Parachute Regiment. After the Parachute 
Regiment was disbanded, he was transferred to Company E. Second 
Battalion, 28th Marines, Fifth Marine Division.
  On February 19, 1945, Corporal Block and his company took part in the 
invasion of the heavily defended island of Iwo Jima. One day into the 
battle, Corporal Block and the 28th Marines began their assault on 
Mount Suribachi, a 550-foot-high extinct volcano. After a three-day 
onslaught, the unit reached the top and defeated the last remaining 
Japanese defenders. Corporal Block, along with Sergeant Michael Strank, 
Corporal Rene Arthur Gagnon, Corporal Ira Hayes, Private First Class 
Franklin Runyon Sousley, and Pharmacist's Mate Second Class John 
``Doc'' Bradley, defiantly raised the U.S. flag atop the mountain. 
Corporal Block guided the base of the pole into the volcanic ash while 
the others raised the flag upward. This is the scene that was captured 
in the famous photo at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
  Corporal Harlon Henry Block was killed in action on March 1, 1945 and 
never saw the famous photo.
  His remains were interred beside the Iwo Jima Memorial at the Marine 
Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas, which is a replica of the U.S. 
Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. On several occasions 
I have had the opportunity to visit the memorial located in my 
Congressional District, and each time I am moved by the courage and 
dedication of those who fought to win World War II. This memorial is a 
special place for the Rio Grande Valley, and serves as a reminder that 
our armed forces and our nation can overcome the greatest of odds. 
Today, we remember the bravery and valor of Corporal Block and all 
those who fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima.

                          ____________________