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Hometown Sgt. Mike Strank Island of Iwo Jima
Sergeant Michael Strank (in Rusyn: Mykhal Strenk; in Slovak: Michal Strenk) (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was photographed raising the flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The leader of the group in the famous picture was Strank, who got the order to climb Mt. Suribachi to lay telephone wire. Accompanying him were CPL Harlon Block, PFC Ira Hayes and PFC Franklin Sousley. About halfway up the mountain, they were joined by PFC Rene Gagnon, who was carrying a larger flag to the summit to replace the smaller one which had been raised earlier in the day. Upon reaching the summit, Strank took the flag from Gagnon, and explained to Lieutenant Harold Schrier that "Colonel Johnson wants this big flag run up high so every son of a bitch on this whole cruddy island can see it." Strank, along with his aforementioned men and Navy Corpsman John Bradley (who was already on the summit of Mt. Suribachi), raised the second flag, February 23, 1945.
Info courtesy of Wikipedia
Post History :
The Sgt Michael Strank Veterans of Foreign Wars Post was formed on December 3, 1945 and received its offical number designation 5107 from the Headquarter of VFW's in Washington, D.C. on December 13, 1945. The Charter was granted in Cambria County, Pennsylvania after review and approval of The Articles of Incorporation in The Commonwealth Courts on January 14,1946. The initial membership as listed on the charter consisted of twenty-two veterans.