Harlon H. Block Grave - Harlingen TX
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 26° 13.354 W 097° 40.087
14R E 633046 N 2901015
This solitary grave of Cpl. Harlon H. Block is just south of the Iwo Jima War Memorial at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas.
Waymark Code: WMJZ7A
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2014
Views: 3
~ text from a Texas Historical Marker (that is 20 miles away in Weslaco) ~
Cpl. Harlon Block, USMCDuring World War II, U.S. forces captured the small yet strategic Japanese-held Pacific Island of Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945, during combat, marine Harlon Block aided in laying telephone wire up an inert volcano. At the summit, Block and five others improvised a flagpole, attaching a flag visible to those on the island and outlying ships. In doing so, Block and his fellow servicemen became the subject of one of the most recognized photographic images of World War II, the U.S. flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. On Mar. 1, 1945, his squad leader was killed. Block took command, but was tragically killed hours later. His remains were repatriated in 1949 to his hometown of Weslaco and in 1995 to the IwoJjima monument in Harlingen.
On the Iwo Jima War Memorial, Block is closest to the bottom of the flagstaff.
First Name: Harlon H.
Last Name: Block
Born: 11/06/1924
Died: 03/01/1945
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