Sgt. Michael Strank
Franklin, Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A Marine, he was the oldest and highest ranking of the six men who took part in the famous raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima, Feb. 23, 1945. This scene, photographed by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press, was later used in the Marine Corps War Memorial at Arlington. Born Nov. 10, 1919, in Czechoslovakia, Strank grew up in Franklin Borough. Killed in action March 1, 1945, he was reinterred 1949 in Arlington Cemetery.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in the coal-country borough of Franklin, Michael Strank became a Marine sergeant in the Pacific war. On February 23, 1945, he was the oldest and senior man among the six who raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima — the moment Joe Rosenthal's camera froze into one of the most famous images in American history. Strank was killed in action days later and now rests at Arlington, his likeness cast into the Marine Corps War Memorial.
Why it matters
The flag-raising he helped lead became an enduring symbol of American sacrifice and resolve in World War II, and his story ties an immigrant Pennsylvania town to that national moment.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Michael Strank
- · Joe Rosenthal
Related events
- · Battle of Iwo Jima
- · Raising the flag on Mount Suribachi
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
James Maitland Stewart (1908-1997)
Indiana, PA · est. 1998
The small college town of Indiana, Pennsylvania, raised one of Hollywood's most beloved leading men. Jimmy Stewart carried an everyman decency into classics of the 1930s and 1940s, from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to It's a Wonderful Life. His fame was matched by real service: he flew 20 combat missions over Europe in World War II and remained in the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a brigadier general.
World War II Connellsville Canteen
Connellsville, PA · est. 1994
From 1944 to 1946, some 800 women of all ages staffed a canteen at Connellsville's B&O Railroad station, greeting roughly 600,000 servicemen and women passing through by rail. Around the clock they provided food, drink, and even rides home to troops far from their families. Their volunteer effort was one of countless home-front acts that sustained the nation's armed forces during World War II.
The Rosedale Banishment
East Taylor Township, PA
On September 7, 1923, amid rising racial hostility, Johnstown Mayor Joseph Cauffiel ordered every Black and Mexican resident who had lived in the area less than seven years to leave. By some accounts more than 2,000 people were driven out under threat of jail. The episode drew national attention—much of it from Black journalists and activists—prompting a state investigation and a public backlash that helped cost Cauffiel his reelection.
American Red Cross
Johnstown, PA · est. 2014
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed and sent a wall of water into Johnstown, killing thousands in one of the worst disasters of the era. Days later, Clara Barton arrived with volunteers of the American Red Cross, the humanitarian society she had founded, to meet the survivors' needs. Over five months the Red Cross opened feeding stations, built shelters, and gave medical care to some 25,000 people.