Harlon Henry Block

1924 - 1945  (20 years)

• Name	Harlon Henry Block
  Birth	6 Nov 1924	Yorktown, Dewitt, Texas
  Gender	Male
  Military Service	U.S. Marine Corps, WWII
  	Block joined the Marine Corps in February 1943. He became a Paramarine and participated in combat on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. The Paramarines were disbanded in 1944. He was then assigned to the 5th Marine Division and, was with them at the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February 23, 1945 a platoon size patrol took Mount Suribachi and raised the battalion's flag as a signal the summit was secure. Lieutenant Colonel Chandler W. Johnson decided that a larger flag should be taken up the mountain because the battalion's flag was too small to be seen. Sergeant Michael Strank and three Marines were ordered to accomplish that task. Strank subsequently ordered three other Marines including Corporal Block to accompany them. No photos were taken of the first flag raising. When the second one went up Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press took what became one of the most iconic photographs of World War II. Block was not immediately recognized as one of the second flag-raisers. In January 1947 a Marine Corps investigation determined that he was in the photograph and another man had mistakenly been identified as one of the flag raisers. Sergeant Strank was killed on March 1, 1945. Corpral Block assumed command of Strank's squad, later the same day, Corporal Block was mortally wounded by an enemy mortar round explosion while leading the squad during an attack.
  		Harlon Henry Block. Harlon Henry Block.
  		Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Corporal Block is the first Marine on the right side of the photo.
  		Marine Corps War Memorial. The United States Marine Corps War Memorial is located in Arlington County, Virginia. It was modeled after the photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima.
  		Iwo Jima Flag. On November 13, 2006 the flag from the photograph, tattered by the high winds at Mount Suribachi, was enshrined at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.
  		The Arizona Daily Star, Monday, February 26, 1945. The Arizona Daily Star, Monday, February 26, 1945.
  		Clarion Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, Monday, February 26, 1945. Clarion Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, Monday, February 26, 1945.
  		Flag raising on Iwo Jima. Flag raising on Iwo Jima. Newsreel footage. Silent. No audio. Runtime 6 minutes 8 Seconds.
  Death	1 Mar 1945	Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, Japan
  Burial	Marine Military Academy, Harlingen, Cameron, Texas, United States
  		Harlon Block Grave Site. Harlon Block Grave Site.
  Siblings	1. Daniel Corwin Block,   b. 6 Oct 1930, McAllen, Hidalgo, Texas d. 6 Oct 1985, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa, California
  Person ID	I56211	Nagel
  Last Modified	8 Aug 2021

  
  

  Father	Edward Frederick Block, Jr,   b. 12 Apr 1896, Nopal, DeWitt, Texas d. 12 May 1968, Weslaco, Hidalgo, Texas (Age 72 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Ada Belle Brantley,   b. 20 Dec 1896, DeWitt County, Texas d. 18 Jun 1980, Calimesa, Riverside, California (Age 83 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Family ID	F16431	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 6 Nov 1924 - Yorktown, Dewitt, Texas Death - 1 Mar 1945 - Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, Japan Burial - - Marine Military Academy, Harlingen, Cameron, Texas, United States  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Harlon Block. Photo is his Marine Corp ID picture.
  		Harlon Block Harlon Block - Corporal USMC. He was on of the Marines in the iconic "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" photo, my 7th cousin once removed.
  		Harlon Block at Camp Pendleton Harlon Block at Camp Pendleton

  
  

  Documents		Historic Moment. The Brownsville (Texas) Herald, Sunday, March 15, 2009. Section C, page 1.
  		Historic Moment 2. The Brownsville (Texas) Herald, Sunday, March 15, 2009. Section C, page 12.

  
  

  Stamps & Coins » Slide Show		3c Iwo Jima. The Post Office at first rejected calls for this stamp because postal regulations (at that time) stated; "No living person(s) can appear on a U.S. postage stamp". However, the demand was so great that congress allowed for an exception. On July 11, 1945 when the stamp was issued people waited in lines, sometimes stretching for blocks for a chance to purchase it.
  		32c Iwo Jima. For many years, the three cent Iwo Jima postage stamp was the biggest selling stamp in the history of the US Post Office. Over 137 million were sold. On September 2, 1995 a thirty-two cent stamp was issued to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first Iwo Jima stamp.
  		Marine Corps Silver Dollar. In 2005, the United States Mint released a silver dollar commemorative coin in honor of the 230th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. The obverse features the iconic raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. Legislation authorized a minting of 500,000 coins. Demand was so high that the Secretary of the Treasury used his authority (for the first time) to increase the run to 600,000 coins.