Rene Arthur Gagnon
March 7, 1925 – October 12, 1979
Rene Arthur Gagnon
Place of birth	Manchester, New Hampshire
Place of death	Manchester, New Hampshire
Allegiance	USMC
Years of service	1943-1946
Rank	Corporal
Unit	2nd Battalion 28th Marines
Battles/wars	Battle of Iwo Jima

Rene Arthur Gagnon (March 7, 1925 – October 12, 1979) was one of the U.S. Marines immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's famous World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (992x1396, 202 KB) Source: http://hqinet001. ... 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 22,000 Casualties 4,197 killed in action,[1] 19,189 wounded,[1] 1,401 died of wounds,[1] 494 missing[1] 20,703 killed,[1] 216 captured[1] The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 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. ... 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... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / The Associated Press Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. ...

Early life

Gagnon was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, the only child of French Canadian immigrants from Saint-Luc, Quebec, Henri Gagnon and Irene Marcotte.^[1] Rene grew up without a father. His parents divorced when he was an infant, after his mother caught his father cheating. When he was old enough, Rene worked alongside his mother at the local mill. Rene was drafted in 1943 and elected to join the Marine Corps. Nickname: Queen City Location in Hillsborough County Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough County Incorporated 1751 Mayor Frank Guinta (R) Area    - City 90. ... French Canadian is a term that has several different connotations. ... There are communes that have the name Saint-Luc (French for Saint Luke: In France Saint-Luc, in the Eure département Saint-Luc, in the Valais département In North America Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, Quebec This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Marine Corps service

On May 6, 1943, he was inducted into the Marine Corps Reserve and sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. From Parris Island, Private First Class Gagnon, promoted on 16 July 1943, was transferred to the Marine Guard Company at Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina. He remained there for eight months and then joined the Military Police Company of the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California. Four days later, on 8 April 1944, he was transferred to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment. May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) (also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR)), a part of the United States Marine Corps, is the largest command in the Marine Corps. ... Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an 8,500 acre military installation near Beaufort, South Carolina tasked with the training of enlisted Marines. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Charleston Navy Yard was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina. ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ... 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. ... Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is near Oceanside, California. ... Website: http://www. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

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

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).

After training at Camp Pendleton and in Hawaii, Gagnon landed with his unit on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. After Iwo Jima was secured, he was ordered to Washington, D.C., arriving on April 7. Together with the other two survivors of the second flag raising, Pharmacist's Mate John Bradley and Private First Class Ira Hayes, he was assigned to temporary duty with the Finance Division, U.S. Treasury Department, for appearances in connection with the Seventh War Loan Drive. 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. ... 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... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... 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. ... Franklin Runyan Sousley (September 19, 1925-March 21, 1945) was one of the six men in the famous photograph of Marines Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. ... 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. ... Harlon Block (November 6, 1924 - March 1, 1945) was a marine during World War II. He was photographed in Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima 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. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi â€  Strength 110,000 22,000 Casualties 4,197 killed in action,[1] 19,189 wounded,[1] 1,401 died of wounds,[1] 494 missing[1] 20,703 killed,[1] 216 captured[1] The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 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. ... The United States Department of the Treasury is a Cabinet department, a treasury, of the United States government established by an Act of U.S. Congress in 1789 to manage the revenue of the United States government. ...

He finished the tour on July 5, 1945 and was ordered to San Diego for further transfer overseas. Gagnon married Pauline Georgette Harnois, of Hooksett, New Hampshire, in Baltimore, Maryland, on 7 July 1945. July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... Hooksett is a town located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. ... Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town[1][2], B-more Motto: The Greatest City in America,[3] Get in on it. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

By September, he was on his way overseas again, this time with the 80th Replacement Draft. On November 7, 1945, he arrived at Tsingtao, China, where he joined Company E, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division. He later served with the 3rd Battalion of the same regiment. November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ching-tao), well-known to the West by its Postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a sub-provincial city in eastern Shandong province, Peoples Republic of China. ... The 6th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was a short-lived unit created during World War II for the Battle of Okinawa and a planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. ...

On duty with the U.S. occupation forces in China for nearly five months, Gagnon boarded ship at Tsingtao at the end of March 1946, and sailed for San Diego, arriving on 20 April.

With nine days short of three years' service in the Marine Corps Reserve, of which 14 months was spent overseas, Gagnon was promoted to corporal and discharged on 27 April 1946. Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Medals and Decorations

CPL Gagnon's Awards and Decorations at the time of his discharge from the Marines.

He was entitled to wear the following medals and decorations Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Presidential Unit Citation with one star (for Iwo Jima),
• China Service Medal
• American Campaign Medal,
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one star (for Iwo Jima), and;
• World War II Victory Medal

Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941 (the date of the Attack on... The China Service Medal was a military medal awarded to U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. ... American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1942 by order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... 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. ...

Post-war

Gagnon's headstone in Arlington National Cemetery

After the war, unlike Ira Hayes and John Bradley, Gagnon attempted to cash in on his celebrity status. He made a brief movie career of the event, appearing in two films about the battle: To the Shores of Iwo Jima (a government documentary which simply showed the color footage of the flagraising) and Sands of Iwo Jima, the latter with fellow flagraisers Bradley and Hayes. He was also part of a Rose Bowl half-time show. However, in the end, it amounted to almost nothing, and left him bitter and alcoholic. He worked at menial jobs, was fired from most of them, the last one on Memorial Day of 1978. He died in October the next year when he was 54, of a heart attack. In his last job he worked as a janitor at an apartment complex in Manchester. As recorded in the book "Flags of Our Fathers", in his latter years Gagnon only participated in events that praised the flag raising at his wife's urging, as she enjoyed the limelight, whereas he by that time did not. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1452x1156, 378 KB) Summary Merged photographs of the front and backside of Rene Gagnons headstone in Arlington National Cemetary. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1452x1156, 378 KB) Summary Merged photographs of the front and backside of Rene Gagnons headstone in Arlington National Cemetary. ... 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. ... 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. ... To The Shores of Iwo Jima was a 1945 short war film produced by the US Navy and Marine Corp. ... Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film which follows a group of Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. ... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football game, usually played on January 1 at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ...

At the age of 53, he bitterly inventoried his lost 'connections' - the jobs promised him by the government people when he'd been at the height of his fame, jobs that never materialized. "I'm pretty well known in Manchester," he told a reporter. "When someone who doesn't know me is introduced to me, they say 'That was you in The Photograph?' What the hell are you doing working here? If I were you I'd have a good job and lots of money.'"^[2]

Corporal Gagnon died on October 12, 1979 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and was buried at Mount Calvary Mausoleum. At his widow's request, Gagnon's remains were re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery on July 7, 1981. He is also honored in a special room at the Wright Museum of WWII memorabilia in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. ^[3] October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article describes the town as a whole. ...

Portrayal in film

• Gagnon was played by Ray Daley in the 1961 film The Outsider.
• Jesse Bradford portrayed him in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers.

Jesse Bradford. ... Flags of Our Fathers is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. ...

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.

1. ^ http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=2708896&id=I21776
2. ^ Bradley, James and Ron Powers. Flags of Our Fathers, 2000. ISBN 0-553-11133-7
3. ^ Rene Gagnon, he was Canadian http://forums.canadiancontent.net/lounge/51882-rene-gagnon-he-canadian.html

• Corporal Rene Arthur Gagnon, USMCR, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, United States Marine Corps.
• Rene Arthur Gagnon, Corporal, United States Marine Corps, Arlington National Cemetery page.

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces to global crises. ...

External links

• Rene Gagnon, Famous NH People
• The Flag Raisers on Iwojima.com
• Rene A. Gagnon at the Internet Movie Database

United States Marine Corps Portal