Franklin Sousley
September 19, 1925 - March 21, 1945
Place of birth	Hilltop, Kentucky
Place of death	KIA on Iwo Jima
Allegiance	USMC
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	2nd Battalion, 28th Marines
Battles/wars	Battle of Iwo Jima
Awards	Purple Heart

Franklin Runyon Sousley (September 19, 1925 – March 21, 1945) was one of the six men in the famous photograph of troops Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 480 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 2000 pixel, file size: 1. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... For other uses, see Iwo Jima (disambiguation). ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The 2nd Battalion 28th Marines (2/28) is an inactive infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€  Strength 110,000 21,000 Casualties 8,226 dead 19,189 wounded,[1] 494 missing[1] Total: 27,909 20,703 dead,[1] 216 captured[1] Total: 20,919 The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought by the United... For other meanings see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / The Associated Press. ...

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / Associated Press

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1380x1111, 200 KB) This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1380x1111, 200 KB) This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. ... Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / The Associated Press. ... With the U.S. fleet off Iwo Jima in the background, Joe Rosenthal strikes a pose on the summit of Mount Suribachi Joe Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006) was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ...

Early life

Sousley was born in Hilltop, Kentucky, to parents Duke and Goldie Sousley as the middle child of three sons. When Franklin was three, his five-year-old brother died of appendicitis. Franklin attended a two-room schoolhouse in the nearby town of Elizaville, and another brother, Julian, was born in May of 1933. Just a year later, Franklin's father died of diabetes at age 35. Only nine years of age, Franklin now found himself the man of the family, keeping his mother's spirits up with his sense of humor and easygoing personality. Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Appendicitis (or epityphlitis) is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix[1]. While mild cases may resolve without treatment, most require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ...

A photo colorized to show all six men - Ira Hayes (red), Franklin Sousley (violet), John Bradley (green), Harlon Block (yellow), Michael Strank (brown), Rene Gagnon (teal).

An off-color photo to show all six men - Ira Hayes (red), Franklin Sousley (violet), John Bradley (Green), Harlon Block (Yellow), Michael Strank (brown), Rene Gagnon (teal) Created by Raul654. ... An off-color photo to show all six men - Ira Hayes (red), Franklin Sousley (violet), John Bradley (Green), Harlon Block (Yellow), Michael Strank (brown), Rene Gagnon (teal) Created by Raul654. ... Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a Akimel O’odham, or Pima Indian, and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community. ... Harlon Henry Block (November 6, 1924 – March 1, 1945) was a US Marine during World War II. He was one of six men photographed in raising the US flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. ... Sergeant Michael Strank (in Rusyn: Mykhal Strenk; in Slovak: Michal Strenk) (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a U.S. Marine during World War II. He was photographed in Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima. ... Rene Arthur Gagnon (March 7, 1925 – October 12, 1979) was one of the U.S. Marines immortalized by Joe Rosenthals famous World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. ...

World War II, and the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima

Sousley received his draft notice at eighteen and decided to become a U.S. Marine. After extensive training, he eventually found himself as part of the U.S. 5th Marine Division landing force in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Together with John Bradley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank, he helped raise a replacement flag on Mount Suribachi, immortalized along with the others in Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph. United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The 5th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was created during World War II for the Battle of Iwo Jima and the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€  Strength 110,000 21,000 Casualties 8,226 dead 19,189 wounded,[1] 494 missing[1] Total: 27,909 20,703 dead,[1] 216 captured[1] Total: 20,919 The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought by the United... John Jack Doc Bradley (July 10, 1923 – January 11, 1994) was a US Navy corpsman during World War II, and one of the six men who took part in Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. ... Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a Akimel O’odham, or Pima Indian, and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community. ... Rene Arthur Gagnon (March 7, 1925 – October 12, 1979) was one of the U.S. Marines immortalized by Joe Rosenthals famous World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. ... Harlon Henry Block (November 6, 1924 – March 1, 1945) was a US Marine during World War II. He was one of six men photographed in raising the US flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. ... Sergeant Michael Strank (in Rusyn: Mykhal Strenk; in Slovak: Michal Strenk) (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a U.S. Marine during World War II. He was photographed in Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima. ... Iwo Jima (Japanese 硫黄島 Iōjima, meaning sulfur island) is a volcanic island in Japan, part of the Volcano Islands (also known as the Ogasawara Islands), approximately 650 miles (1046 km) south of Tokyo (24. ... With the U.S. fleet off Iwo Jima in the background, Joe Rosenthal strikes a pose on the summit of Mount Suribachi Joe Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006) was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on...

The importance of the photograph as a propaganda tool was recognized immediately, and word had been sent that Sousley was to be brought back to America for a publicity tour along with John Bradley and Rene Gagnon (at that time Gagnon, under threat from Ira Hayes, had not revealed Hayes' participation in the flagraising). According to Shadow of Suribachi: Raising The Flags on Iwo Jima by Parker Bishop Albee, Jr. and Keller Cushing Freeman, when the word reached Iwo Jima, Sousley was on a dangerous part of the island, and his company commander, Captain Dave Severance, decided it was safer to leave him where he was than attempt an extrication under the conditions. Soviet Propaganda Poster during the World War II. The text reads Red Army Fighter, SAVE US! Chinese propaganda poster from during the Cultural Revolution. ...

PFC Sousley's Awards and Decorations at the time of his death.

Private First Class Sousley was awarded the following decorations and medals: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Purple Heart (posthumously);
• Presidential Unit Citation with one star (for Iwo Jima);
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one star (for Iwo Jima); and
• World War II Victory Medal.

For other meanings see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy. ... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. ... WWII Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. ...

Death

According to James Bradley's Flags of Our Fathers, on March 21, 1945, PFC Sousley was shot in the back by a Japanese sniper while walking down the middle of an open road on the nearly-secured island. He was nineteen years old. A fellow Marine saw Sousley lying on the ground and asked, "How bad are you hit?" Sousley's reply (and last words) were reportedly, "what do you think i was shot in the back you son of a" and then died. Originally buried on the island of Iwo Jima, his body was reinterred on May 8, 1947, in Elizaville Cemetery, Kentucky. James Bradley (late 20th century) is an American author. ... Flags of Our Fathers (2000) is the New York Times-bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about the five United States Marines and one United States Navy Corpsman (Medic) who would eventually be made famous by Joe Rosenthals lauded photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima... March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... US Military In the U.S. Army, Private First Class is the third lowest enlisted rank, just above Private and below Corporal or Specialist. ... Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers practice sniper marksmenship at their firing range near Baghdad, Iraq in 2005. ... For other uses, see Iwo Jima (disambiguation). ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

Portrayal in film

In the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers, Sousley is portrayed by Joseph Cross. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Marines raising the US flag on Iwo Jima in a publicity still from Flags of Our Fathers. ... Joseph Michael Cross (born May 28, 1986) is an American actor. ...

In the 1961 film The Outsider, Sousley's role in the flagraising is given to a fictional character named James B. Sorenson, played by James Franciscus. James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was a leading and supporting American actor. ...

See also

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Shadow of Suribachi: Raising The Flags on Iwo Jima Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / The Associated Press. ...