[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18270-18271]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING CHARLES W. LINDBERG

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to remember a 
North Dakota hero who passed away last month.
  About 3 miles straight west of this Senate Chamber lies the Iwo Jima 
memorial. Its centerpiece is a statue of six men raising an American 
flag to symbolize the capture of Mount Suribachi and the ensuing U.S. 
military victory at Iwo Jima.
  On February 23, 1945, a 24-year-old marine from North Dakota named 
Charles W. Lindberg played a key role in the events immortalized by the 
Iwo Jima memorial. On that day, he was part of the group that raised 
the first American flag to fly over Japanese soil in the Second World 
War. Many names from that war stand out in our memories: Normandy, 
Midway, the Battle of the Bulge. But perhaps none stands out like Iwo 
Jima.
  The battle for Iwo Jima was one of the fiercest of the entire war. 
The American attack, planned to capture the two airfields on the island 
and provide a staging area for B-29 bombing

[[Page 18271]]

runs on the Japanese home islands, was the first invasion of 
traditionally Japanese territory in the war. Fighting on the island 
lasted over a month. Over 20,000 Americans were injured and 6,825 more 
heroically made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
  And on Iwo Jima North Dakota's Marine Cpl. Charles Lindberg made his 
mark on history. The indelible image of the battle for Iwo Jima is of 
six men raising an American flag atop the island. But those six men 
were not the first group of men to claim Iwo Jima for the United 
States. That honor belongs to a patrol that included Corporal Lindberg. 
The distinction between the two was one he spent a lifetime explaining.
  On February 23, Corporal Lindberg took his 72-pound flame-thrower to 
enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and set out for the top 
with five other marines, an old pipe to be used as a flagpole, and the 
American flag. They gained the summit and planted the flag. Lindberg 
recalled that the flag's raising created such a commotion of cheers and 
whistles that it brought the enemy back out. That threat drew Lindberg 
back to battle, and so he missed the raising of the second flag, which 
was captured for history and recreated at the Iwo Jima memorial.
  Lindberg won a Silver Star for his bravery that day, and a Purple 
Heart for the injury that led to his evacuation from the island less 
than one week later. Thirty-six members of his 40-man patrol were 
killed or wounded while fighting on Iwo Jima, which would rage for a 
full month after the flag-raising. Lindberg was fortunate enough to 
return home, to marry, and to live out a somewhat quieter life as an 
electrician.
  On June 24, at the age of 83, he passed away. He was the last 
surviving member of the group of heroes who had the honor of raising 
the first American flag to fly over Japanese territory.
  What is it that makes a young man from a simple town like Grand 
Forks, ND, risk his life the way Corporal Lindberg did on Iwo Jima? Was 
it the fight for freedom and liberty? Was it his patriotism and his 
love of country? Was it his bravery and courage? Perhaps it was all 
those things. In fact, I would say that the story of Charles Lindberg 
presents the best of all that is American. Duty. Honor. Bravery. 
Sacrifice. I am proud to say that Corporal Lindberg comes from my home 
State of North Dakota. I am proud to call Corporal Lindberg an 
American.
  Lindberg's passing serves as a reminder to be thankful for the heroic 
service of all those who answered the call to serve our country. The 
service of the millions of young men called to duty in World War II--
and in all of our nation's wars--can never be forgotten. We are all 
touched in some way by heroes like Charles Lindberg, whether they are 
our family members, our loved ones, or our neighbors. Let us always 
remember the debt we owe these heroes, and always cherish the freedom 
they successfully fought to preserve.

                          ____________________