[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17561]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO BATTLE FOR IWO JIMA VETERAN CORPORAL CHARLES W. LINDBERG

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2007

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
accomplishments of Cpl Charles W. Lindberg (Retired). Corporal Lindberg 
is one of six United States Marine Corps servicemembers that climbed 
Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima and raised the American flag. At 10:20 a.m. 
on February 23, 1945, the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th 
Regiment, 5th Marine Division were the first group of Americans during 
World War II to raise the American flag on Japanese soil. This 
momentous occasion demoralized the Japanese and signaled the beginning 
of the end of the war in the Pacific Theater.
  According to several accounts, Corporal Lindberg along with about 40 
other members of the 3rd Platoon climbed Mount Suribachi to secure the 
highest point on the island. Despite clear danger to life and limb, 
Corporal Lindberg, carrying a 72-pound flamethrower and his platoon 
captured Mount Suribachi, forcing many enemy combatants out from their 
entrenched positions in tunnels on the hill. After raising the flag, 
Corporal Lindberg and members of the platoon continued to fight 
Japanese forces to gain complete control of the strategic location. 
Nearly a week later, on March 1, 1945, Corporal Lindberg was shot in 
the stomach while fighting on other parts of the island. Corporal 
Lindberg received a Purple Heart for his injury and Silver Star Medal 
for valor for his heroism on Iwo Jima. He was a member of the elite 
Carlson's Raiders, a group of Marines that operated behind enemy lines, 
and was also a part of the Guadalcanal and Bougainville campaigns.
  History was not always fair to the 3rd Platoon. History has 
immortalized the second raising of the U.S. flag rather than the first 
raising. The well-known photo taken by Associated Press Photographer 
Joe Rosenthal occurred nearly 4 hours after the initial raising of the 
U.S. flag and has been commemorated by the United States Marine Corps 
Memorial and is depicted in history books across the Nation. After his 
discharge from the United States Marines in January 1946, Corporal 
Lindberg returned to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and eventually 
Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began to raise awareness of the initial 
raising of the U.S. flag but was rebuffed time after time. Finally, in 
1995 the United States Marines officially set the record straight and 
had Corporal Lindberg flown to a reunion of war veterans on Iwo Jima.
  Corporal Lindberg's heroism in securing Mount Suribachi from Japanese 
forces symbolized the strength, perseverance and fortitude of American 
servicemembers during World War II. Raising the American flag 
demoralized the enemy and gave hope to the beleaguered Marines on the 
beach. The hope rallied the U.S. Marine forces to fully secure the 
island by March 26, 1945. The efforts of Corporal Lindberg are also 
similar to the efforts of other United States Armed Forces when they 
liberated Guam and the Mariana Islands in July 1944. Let us pause and 
honor another outstanding member of the Greatest Generation and his 
contributions to our Nation's defense. His patriotism, bravery, and 
sacrifices for our country should never be forgotten.

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