John Bradley was a sailor with the United States Navy during World War II. He was one of the six men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima. This iconic moment was captured in a photograph that has become one of the most famous images of the war and is a symbol of American strength and determination.

Bradley was born in Antigo, Wisconsin, on July 10, 1923. He was the son of a doctor and a teacher and had six siblings. When he was 17 years old, Bradley joined the Navy and was trained as a corpsman. He was eventually assigned to the 5th Marine Division and sent to the Pacific theater of the war.

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a fierce and brutal fight between the United States and Japan. It took place in February and March of 1945 and resulted in the deaths of nearly 7,000 Americans and over 20,000 Japanese soldiers. Bradley was a part of the invasion force that landed on the island on February 19, 1945.

On February 23, 1945, Bradley and five other Marines were ordered to climb up Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the island, to replace a smaller American flag with a larger one. When they reached the top, Bradley and the other Marines secured the flagpole while Louis Lowery, a photographer with the Associated Press, took a photograph of the scene. The photograph, which came to be known as “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,” was later turned into a sculpture and is now displayed at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

After the flag was raised, Bradley was still in danger. The Japanese soldiers on the island saw the flag and began firing at the Marines on the mountain. Bradley and the other Marines made it down the mountain safely and continued to fight on the island for several more weeks. Bradley was wounded twice during the battle and was awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery and heroism.

After the war, Bradley returned to the United States and married his high school sweetheart. He settled in Wisconsin and worked as a funeral director. He rarely spoke about his experiences in the war and the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. It wasn’t until years later, when a book was written about the flag-raising and Bradley’s involvement, that he began to open up about his experiences.

Bradley died on January 11, 1994, at the age of 70. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. He is survived by his wife and their three children.

John Bradley’s legacy lives on through the famous photograph and the sculpture that depicts the moment he helped raise the American flag on Iwo Jima. His bravery and service to his country will never be forgotten.

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