Biographies/People (88)
The recent tragic events of retired Marine Eloy Timothy Tafoya of Santa Fe and his subsequent funeral and burial made me think of the following story related to me by a friend of mine from florida who was overseas with me.
Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable. On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II. The students piled off the bus and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as we got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him we were from Wisconsin. Hey I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story. (It was James Bradley who just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw us pull up. I received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)
My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first one putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. He was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team..They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War". But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even talked to their families about it.
You see the this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took his helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing, you would find a photograph -- of his girlfriend. Rene put it there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.
The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank, He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, Let's go kill some Japanese or let"s die for our country, He knew he was talking to young boys-- Instead he would say, You do what I say and we will all go home.
The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, A Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima. He went to the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, "You're a hero" He told reporters, How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).
The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. His best friend told me he was a fun-loving hillbilly. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went up to the Hilltop General Store. The neighbors could hear his mother scream all night and into the morning. those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.
The next guy, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but would never give interviews. Usually, he was sitting right at the table, but he didn't talk to the press. You see like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. He was a medic. He probably held over 200 young boys as they died
So that's the story about six nice young boys.. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 died in Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps.
One thing I learned while on tour with my students in DC is that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of "hands" raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.
New Mexico Legend and Hispano Round Table Veteran Honoree Mr. Tony Garcia, 102 years old - passes on
Contributed by Jim Baca
It is with a heavy heart that the State of New Mexico lost one of our
heroes and legends on February 8th, 2014. Mr. Tony Garcia, Don Antonio Garcia, passed away yesterday after an incredible and full life. Mr. Garcia was born in 1912, within the same month New Mexico became a state.
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Mr. Garcia served in the US Army from 1930 - 1937 - before WWII started.
He was well known across the Southwest as a collector of the most rare
Spanish Colonial Artifacts. He wrote a book entitled "The Beginning of
The Casa San Ysidro in Corrales, New Mexico". He wrote in his book "I
went into every village and town and looked almost house to house
finding and buying the rarest and most historical Spanish Colonial
artifacts I could find to provide for Casa San Ysidro and make it what
it is today".
Mr. Garcia collected and assembled what is known as the largest
collection of New Mexico Spanish Colonial artifacts made in the 18th and
19th centuries. Mr. Garcia built, furnished and supplied La Casa San
Ysidro Museum in Corrales, New Mexico. It is a true New Mexico
Treasure.
During Hispanic Heritage Month in 2012, Mr. Garcia was invited to speak
to our Agency on Kirtland AFB. He was asked a question about his
fondest memory in his 100 years of life. People expected him to say
when he got married or when his children were born. Mr. Garcia being
who he was - a man who had a deep appreciation for history and humor
responded, "The most memorable day of my life is when I found Don Juan
De Oñate’s sword at Acoma Pueblo". The crowd got a great laugh out of
that one.
It is true. Mr. Garcia visited the Acoma Pueblo in his search for
Spanish Colonial Artifacts and he spoke to the Acoma Pueblo leadership
many times and visited the Pueblo many times until they finally gave him
Don Juan De Oñate's Sword. Mr. Garcia eventually donated the priceless
sword to the City of Albuquerque Museum.
Mr. Garcia once told me he gave priceless rare books to the Smithsonian
in Washington DC. He said he could have made a lot of money with the
rare artifacts and books he found and donated but he wanted to do all he
could to preserve our Spanish art and history.
The Hispano Round Table of New Mexico is very proud and honored and to
have honored Mr. Garcia at our 2012 Annual Tribute to Hispano
Legislators Dinner as our Military Honoree with our Hispano Round Table
of New Mexico Medal of Valor and Honor. His daughter and his niece told
me he loved and treasured that medal very much and often wore it while
sitting in his chair at home. Mr. Garcia was a widower for many years
and he had an extended family.
Rest in peace Don Antonio Garcia. You earned your place with the Angels
in heaven Hermano Mayor. So proud to call you my friend, un amigo con
mucho cariño y respeto.
Sinceramente,
Ralph Arellanes
More...
Hermanos y Hermanas;
The Vietnam Veterans of America / Northern New Mexico Chapter has been asked to host "The Wall That Heals," It is a half scale replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. The "Wall" is coming to Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 24, 2014. The memorial will be available for viewing 24 hours a day, through March 24th at 6:00 a.m. at Fort Marcy Ball Park, located just North of the Old Taos Highway and will be open to the public with no charge for admission. The "Wall" is scheduled to arrive in Santa Fe on March 18th, at approximately 1:00 p.m. Welcoming Ceremony scheduled for March 20th at 11:00 am. and Honoring Ceremonies scheduled for March 23, at 11:00 am. Other activities include: Taps at dusk, reading of the names on the wall, and a candlelight vigil. The Key note speaker for the Honoring Ceremony will be Jan Scruggs, Founder and President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. During the ceremony Mr. Scruggs will pay tribute to the New Mexico Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans 'CALL FOR PHOTOS' Project. They will be recognized for their success in collecting the photographs of the 398 New Mexicans whose names are inscribed on the Wall. Mr. Scruggs will also acknowledge that New Mexico was the first to collect all the photographs of its Fallen Heroes. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS ALL OF THEM.