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DENVER (MCN - 11/16/2011) — The crowd stood as the old man slowly
walked to the podium, his red hat standing out among the Dress Blue
uniforms and ball dresses. The 86-year-old gentleman removed his
hat, took the microphone, lowered it to his lips and began to tell
his story about a little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
that changed his life forever.
Recruiting Station Denver
Eighteen young Marines stand atop Mt. Suribachi, Feb. 23, 1945, for a photo taken by Joe Rosenthal. The picture became known as the Gung Ho photo. Thurman is standing on the far left with his helmet in the air behind Cpl. Ira Hayes.
Photo Courtesy of Jack Thurman |
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A crowd of 222 Marines and family listened as Jack Thurman
gave his account of landing on Iwo Jima in 1945, standing on
top of Mt. Suribachi with Ira Hayes and being in a famous
photo taken by Joe Rosenthal, during Recruiting Station
Denver's Marine Corps Birthday Ball held Oct. 29 at the
Denver Marriott Tech Center.
Thurman recounted that on the morning of Feb. 19, 1945, he
was part of the first wave of transport ships to land on Iwo
Jima. He remembered the morning in vivid detail as he spoke
to the crowd.
“The landing craft to my right was hit by a shell and sunk,”
he said. “The water was swirling around where the craft used
to be. There was an American plane that was hit and was
going down. I could see the rear gunner as it flew on fire,
feet above our heads. It crashed into the landing craft on
our left and sank it.”
After four days of fighting, on Feb. 23, 1945, Thurman
watched as the first flag was raised on Mt. Suribachi. Hours
later he made his way to the top and responded to a request
to be in a
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photo taken with the second, much larger flag. The photo is known as
the “Gung Ho” photo. Thurman appears in the photo behind his friend
and fellow Marine, Cpl. Ira Hayes. |
“After the war, Ira visited my parent's house in South
Dakota,” remembers Thurman with a smile. “Unfortunately I
was not there, I never saw him again.”
After
Thurman's speech, Maj. William Brown, the RS Denver
commanding officer, and Sgt. Maj. David Reid, RS Denver's
sergeant major, presented Thurman with a gift to thank him
for his presence and moving words of wisdom. After receiving
the gift, Thurman exclaimed “I got my K-Bar back!” The crowd
erupted in laughter.
“We were honored to have a true
American hero at our ball,” stated Brown. “He represents the
sacrifices made by all Marines during World War II.”
Several other Marines were moved by Thurman's words,
including Master Sgt. Samuel Casillas, RS Denver operations
chief.
“I was honored to hear Mr. Thurman speak,”
said Casillas. “Sadly, the “Greatest Generation” is dying
off; soon the memories of his era will be gone.”
The
rest of the celebration continued into the night with dinner
and dancing. The evening will be remembered as one of the
most memorable birthday balls for the Marines of RS Denver
and it is due to being honored by the presence of history.
More photos available below
By USMC Sgt. Justin Pack
Recruiting Station Denver
Marine Corps News
Copyright 2011
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