US team on Iwo Jima looks for remains of flag photographer
A US search team on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima is zeroing in on a cave where a Marine combat photographer who filmed the famous flag-raising 62 years ago is believed to have been killed in battle nine days later.
They are looking for the remains of Sgt. William Genaust, who was killed in action after filming the flag-raising atop Iwo JimaÕs Mount Suribachi, and other US troops killed in the battle Ð one of the fiercest and most symbolic of the Second World War.
The team is the first from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting office, which is headquartered on Hickam Air Force Base on Hawaii, to conduct a search on Iwo Jima since 1948, when most of the American remains were recovered.
Iwo Jima was occupied by the United States after JapanÕs 1945 surrender, and returned to Japanese jurisdiction in 1968.
ÒThe team is finding caves that have been cleaned out, and some that have collapsed,Ó JPAC spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Brown told The Associated Press.
Brown said the team was looking for as many American remains as it could find, including those of Genaust.
He said 88,000 US service members were missing from the Second World War, including about 250 from the Iwo Jima campaign.
Brown said the search was a preliminary one, and that if a high probability of recovering remains was determined, a full recovery team would be sent in.
ÒOur motto is Õuntil they are home,ÓÕ Brown said. ÒÕNo man left behindÕ is a promise made to every individual who raises his hand.Ó
Genaust, a combat photographer with the 28th Marines, used a movie camera to film the raising of the flag atop Iwo JimaÕs Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. He stood just feet away from AP photographer Joe Rosenthal, whose iconic photograph of the moment won a Pulitzer Prize and came to symbolise the Pacific War and the struggle of the US forces to capture the tiny island, a turning point in the war with Japan.
Genaust didnÕt live to see the end of the battle.
Johnnie Webb, a civilian official with JPAC, said Genaust died nine days later when he was hit by machine-gun fire as he was assisting fellow Marines secure a cave.
Iwo Jima was officially taken on March 26, 1945 after 31-day battle that pitted some 100,000 US troops against 21,200 Japanese. All told, 6,821 Americans were killed and nearly 22,000 injured Ð the highest percentage of casualties in any Pacific battle. Only 1,033 Japanese survived.
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© Thomas Crosbie Media 2007
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Search for soldier on Iwo Jima underway
BY BILL WAGNER
STAFF WRITER
A Scranton businessmanÕs personal quest to locate the remains of a missing U.S. Marine from World War II is being realized as a search team slashes its way through thick, thorny brush on Iwo Jima.
They seek a cave where the Marine combat photographer who filmed an iconic World War II flag-raising is believed to have been killed by machinegun fire.
City resident Bob Bolus, who provided the impetus for the operation and had hoped to lead the first American search of the remote Japanese island in 60 years, was not allowed to accompany the team. But, he says, heÕs still overjoyed the mission is finally taking place.
The team is seeking the remains of Sgt. William H. Genaust and other Marines who died in the battle for Iwo Jima, a turning point in the war with Japan.
Mr. Bolus said he became intrigued with Sgt. Genaust after reading a Parade Magazine article about him two years ago.
Spending thousands of dollars of his own money, Mr. Bolus assembled a team of experts, including an archivist, forensic anthropologist, geologist and surveyor, who were able to pinpoint where Sgt. GenaustÕs remains were likely to be found.
He was forced to step aside by a directive that permits only military personnel on the island. Still, he said he was happy to see action after so many years.
ÒThis is an historic event,Ó he said. ÒJapanese and Americans are united searching for remains of soldiers from both nations. I could not be prouder to know that this is taking place in memory of Genaust and all the other MIAs on the island. I am prouder still that I am the American helping us live up to the saying, ÔLeave no man behind.Õ Ó
He was confident Sgt. GenaustÕs remains would be found.
Mr. Bolus, 64, lobbied the military to search for the missing Marine. He visited Iwo Jima last year and met the grandson of Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Japanese commander on Iwo Jima.
ÒOur motto is Ôuntil they are home,Õ Ó Lt. Col. Mark Brown, of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, told The Associated Press on Friday. Ò ÔNo man left behindÕ is a promise made to every individual who raises his hand.Ó
Sgt. Genaust, a combat photographer with the 28th Marines, filmed the raising of the flag atop Iwo JimaÕs Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. He stood just feet away from AP photographer Joe Rosenthal, whose photograph of the moment won a Pulitzer Prize and came to symbolize the war in the Pacific and the struggle of the Marines to capture Iwo Jima.
Sgt. Genaust died nine days later when he was hit by machine-gun fire as he was helping fellow Marines secure a cave, said Johnnie Webb, a civilian official with JPAC. He was 38.
Eric Talmadge and Michael Rubinkam, Associated Press writers contributed to this report.
©The Times-TribuneÊ2007