Michael Strank (November 10, 1919 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who fought in the Pacific during the Second World War. He was one of six servicemen photographed raising the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was killed in action on the island a few days later, dying March 1, 1945.
On February 23, 1945, Strank was given the order to climb up Mt. Suribachi and lay telephone wire to the top with three members of his rifle squad; Corporal Harlon Block, Private First Class Ira Hayes, and Private First Class Franklin Sousley. The four were joined about halfway up the mountain by Private First Class Rene Gagnon, who was delivering a large American flag to the summit to the officer in charge of the mountaintop with the instructions to replace a smaller flag which had been raised a few hours earlier. Upon reaching the summit, Strank took the flag from Gagnon, and gave it to Lieutenant Harold Schrier, saying that "Colonel Johnson wants this big flag run up high so every son of a bitch on this whole cruddy island can see it." Strank, along with the aforementioned Marines and a Navy Corpsman, John Bradley, raised the second flag and flagstaff at the same time the first flag and flagstaff was being taken down. The photo of the second flag raising on Mt. Suribachi became the most famous photograph of World War II.
The caches were placed without getting out of my kayak when the river was at 7.5 feet on the below gauge.
Licking River Gauge