Cpl. Ira Hamilton Hayes, USMC WWII, 2008; USMC War Memorial, 1991; Pvt. Mathew B. Juan, USA WWI, 2008; all bronze work by sculptor/artist Oscar Urrea; Background: Pvt. Mathew B. Juan Pillar Monument in stone, mason/artist Michael Sullivan, 1928
Sacaton-On Feb. 19 and 20 friends and veterans from all walks of life will gather here to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the raising of the US Flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, a heavily fortified Japanese stronghold of World War II.
Over the course of a day and a half, recognition and blessings will go out to our fallen war heroes and family members. World War I Army Pvt. Mathew B. Juan was killed in action on May 28, 1918, and World War II Marine Cpl. Ira Hamilton Hayes survived Iwo Jima yet met his untimely demise on Jan. 24, 1955. Hayes is interned at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia.
The event is organized and sponsored by American Legion Post 84 and over the years has earned a stellar reputation nationwide. Veterans groups throughout the country mark their calendars to make the yearly trek to Gila River Indian Community. Crowd estimates have soared to 2,000 attendees.
On Saturday, a military parade starts at 9:00 a.m. followed by gourd dancing at 1:00 p.m. at the Fairgrounds in Sacaton. Pow-Wow Grand entry is 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Each year esteemed survivor guests dwindle. Event organizers say 25 survivors of World War II are expected to attend.
Historical accounts say capturing the Island of Iwo Jima was a primary objective in plans to end the Pacific campaign.
By December 1941, the war between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China became the greater World War II in a fight over access to natural resources—oil and rubber—in Southeast Asia. Decisive actions took place after hundreds of Japanese aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that destroyed battleships and killed thousands of personnel.
Official records say the Battle of Iwo Jima is the costliest battle in Marine Corp. history. The large-scale armed conflict for the capture of the small 8-mile island located 660 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, began on Feb.19 and ended on March 26, 1945.
Records show 100,000 US Armed Forces engaged in heavy battle for 35 days. More than 26,000 Americans were injured, 6,821 were killed, 5,931 of them were Marines. At the onset of the battle, 18,000 Japanese were present. Two-hundred sixteen were captured as prisoners of war, 17,784 were presumed missing or killed.
Post 84-name sake Cpl. Ira H. Hayes, 1923-1955, then 22 years old, was one of five Marines and a Navy Corpsman who planted the flag that symbolized the end of “Bloody Iwo” and victory over the Japanese.
Associated Press news photographer, Joseph Rosenthal later won a Pulitzer Prize in 1945 for the most memorable photograph of World War II that forever immortalizes the Battle of Iwo.
The flag-raising image was replicated into what is now known as the USMC War Memorial, which majestically stands 78 feet high at the George Washington Memorial Park in Washington, D.C.
A cloth flag flies 24-hours atop a 60-foot bronze flagpole. The figures occupy the same positions as Rosenthal’s historic photograph with Cpl. Ira H. Hayes farthest to the left.
The base reads, “In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775.”
The Memorial was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Nov. 10, 1954, coinciding with the 179th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Back home at Gila River, work began during the 1980s to establish a veterans’ park in Sacaton, the “capitol.” Acreage was obtained from GRIC at the site of the Mathew B. Juan Memorial Monument located at the intersection of Sacaton and Casa Blanca Roads.
Gerald Gall, Post 84 historian, previously reported to the GRIN that Mathew B. Juan, Pima, (1892-1918) was the first Arizonan and the first American Indian to die in World War I. Juan’s parents were Mary and Joseph Juan from San Tan.
Newspaper accounts say Juan excelled at athletics and was a prizewinning calf-roper. Juan asked for and got work with the Ringling Bros. Circus after a Phoenix performance on Sept. 17, 1917. He traveled the country for a few months. While in Texas, Juan sent a postcard home to his parents saying he joined the Army.
War Dept. induction records show Juan enlisted under the alias “Mathew B. Rivers” on Dec. 11, 1917. After he trained in Texas, Juan was sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, where he boarded the SS Tuscania, a converted luxury liner loaded with 2,000 troops, and bound for France.
On Feb. 5, 1918, the SS Tuscania was sunk by torpedo missile fired by German U-Boat-77. Two-hundred ten lives were lost. Juan survived and back on land in France was assigned to the 28th Infantry Regiment, later known as the “Black Lions” or the “Lions of Cantiginy.”
Juan died by machine gun fire on May 28, 1918 during the first American offensive of World War I dubbed “The Battle of Cantiginy.”
Gall further reported that in 1921, and to the behest of Juan’s family, Juan’s gravesite in France was exhumed and his body returned to the US via Hoboken on its way to the Fisher Funeral Home in Casa Grande.
On Apr. 9, 1921, Juan was reburied on the property of the Cook Memorial Church in Sacaton. Then-Arizona Governor Thomas E. Campbell honored Juan in a prepared speech before a crowd of 1,000 people.
With assistance from the American Legion Chandler Post 35, a stone pillar monument was erected in 1928. The monument was dedicated 10 years after Juan’s death. The mason work was completed by Michael Sullivan. Sullivan’s work includes the Old Stone Church built in 1927 in Casa Grande located on Florence Blvd.
According to a Defense webpage, “More than 44,000 American Indians, out of a total Native American population of less than 350,000 served with distinction between 1941 and 1945 in both European and Pacific theaters of war.”
In recent years, the Iwo Jima commemoration event has grown to focus and honor all veterans from all branches of service.
When asked about the high distinction the event receives nationwide, bronze sculptor/artist Oscar Urrea, US Army 101st Airborne Division, 1969- 1971, said, “The monuments are very much like the Viet Nam Wall. I see it all the time. World War II Vets from all over the country stand by the memorials and touch the figures. They want to stand next to the life-size figure of Ira Hayes, especially if they’re a Marine. They bow their heads. They pay their last respects. It’s very emotional because they know they’re on their last journey in life.”
The Ira H. Hayes American Legion Post 84 appreciates the generous contributions by the Gila River Indian Community, local government agencies, church groups, and individuals who assist in making the yearly event a huge success.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|