| Ralph A. Ignatowski | |
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| April 8, 1926 – March 7, 1945 (aged 18) | |
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| Nickname | "Iggy" |
| Place of birth | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Place of death | KIA on Iwo Jima |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Unit | 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Iwo Jima |
| Awards | Purple Heart Presidential Unit Citation with Star Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal |
Private First Class Ralph Anthony "Iggy" Ignatowski (born April 08, 1926 - died between March 04 and March 07, 1945) was a U. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Iwo Jima ( 硫黄[[wikt 島|島]] officially Iōtō,also frequently Iōjima: “ Sulfur island” is an island of the Japanese The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In many Armed forces in the world Private First Class is a rank held by junior enlisted persons The 2nd Battalion 28th Marines (2/28 is an inactive Infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The Battle of Iwo Jima ( February 19, 1945 &ndash March 26, 1945) was the United States capture of the island of Iwo Jima The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving Please see " Presidential Unit Citation " for other nations' versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. In many Armed forces in the world Private First Class is a rank held by junior enlisted persons Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar S. Marine who was tortured and killed by Japanese troops during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The Battle of Iwo Jima ( February 19, 1945 &ndash March 26, 1945) was the United States capture of the island of Iwo Jima
He was best friends with Iwo Jima flag raiser John Bradley. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Polish-born Walter Ignatowski and a German mother, the former Frances Thomas. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as
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Entry into the Marine Corps
Ignatowski failed his physical when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943. However, he tried again bringing a friend's urine and this time passed the physical. After training, he was assigned to Company E, 2d Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, with future Iwo Jima flag raisers Ira Hayes, John Bradley, Rene Gagnon, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank. The 28th Marine Regiment (28th Marines is an inactive Infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. The 5th Marine Division was an infantry division in the United States Marine Corps. Biography The son of Joe E and Nancy W Hayes Ira Hayes was born on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton Arizona Rene Arthur Gagnon (March 07 1925 – October 12 1979 was one of the U Franklin Runyon Sousley ( September 19, 1925 – March 21, 1945) was one of the six men in the famous Photograph of United States Marines Harlon Henry Block ( November 6, 1924 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine during World War II. Michael Strank ( Mykhal Strenk; Michal Strenk (November 10 1919 &ndash March 1 1945 was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps during World War II
Service record
According to military records, Ignatowski was at sea aboard the USS Missoula on February 05, 1945, and arrived at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands on February 7. World War II service Missoula was laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Permanente Metals Corp Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Enewetak (or Eniwetok) is an Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the central Pacific Ocean. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Ignatowski was at sea again from February 8 to 10, and disembarked at Saipan, Marianas Islands, on February 11. Saipan (saɪˈpæn /saɪˈpɑn/ or /ˈsaɪpæn/ in English is the largest Island and Capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning He then boarded LST-481 and sailed to Iwo Jima from February 11 to 18. Iwo Jima ( 硫黄[[wikt 島|島]] officially Iōtō,also frequently Iōjima: “ Sulfur island” is an island of the Japanese On February 19, 1945, Ignatowski and Easy Company arrived at Iwo Jima. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar
Regimental records indicate that Ignatowski was wounded in the jaw by shrapnel on February 20, 1945, but returned to duty the same day. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar During the battle, on March 04, 1945, Ignatowski was captured, tortured and murdered along with another Marine, Second Lieutenant Leonard Sokol. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Their bodies were discovered on March 07, 1945. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The following entries from the 28th Marine Regiment records describe the timeline of their deaths:
- Mar 4, 1845 hrs - Fr LT228 - One P. F. C. from Easy Co, name unknown, believed captured by Japs in vicinity of Hill 215.
- Mar 4, 2030 hrs - Fr LT228 - Lt. Sokol was killed at 1330 at 233 X and body taken by Nips - No maps or shackle codes known to be on his person according to Capt Severance.
- Mar 4, 2100 hrs - Fr LT 228 - All quiet - Easy Co reports Japs were definitely seen grabbing man into cave near where Lt. Sokol's body disappeared.
- Mar 7, 1900 hrs - Fr. LT228 - Body of captured PFC from "E" Co (Ignatowski) had apparently been searchd (pack emptied) and tortured - arm broken, body beaten. Location 450 yds north of tip of Hill 362. Forward and left of E Co's present CP - Lt. Sokol's body nearby mutilitated by one of our own flame throwers.
- Mar 7, 1940 hrs - Fr D2 - Corps requests written statements from men in "E" Co who saw Ignatowsky captured.
- Mar 8, 0855 hrs - Fr 5th Div. Red Cross - Request details on capture of PFC Ignatowsky "E" Co. Call Mr. Thomas c/o Columbus #1
- Mar 8, 1010 hrs - Fr LT228 - Ignatowski body evacuated with Lt. Sokol's. En route, via Regt.
- Mar 8, 1150 hrs - To D2 - Requested Regimental ARC representative and Regimental Surgeon examine body of P. F. C. Ignatowsky and prepare affidavits.
- Mar 9, 1154 hrs - Fr D2 - Requests detail re Ignatowsky and statements: a. Circumstances of capture b. Events intervening between capture and recovery. c. Circumstances of recovery of body.
Death
Ignatowski's death is referenced in several books:
- In his book Semper Chai!: Marines of Blue and White (and Red) about Jews in the U. S. Marine Corps, author Howard J. Leavitt collected eyewitness reports regarding the actual circumstances of Ignatowski and Sokol's deaths, including a letter to the surviving members of the family of Lieutenant Sokol by fellow Marine James Buchanan:
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- "On March 3, Private Ralph Ignatowski was somehow dragged into a cave within a small canyon. What I tell you next is what I heard but did not see. He may have tried to rescue Ignatowski, but I don’t know for sure. ”
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- “I walked into the canyon and found Lieutenant Sokol on a road, Ralph Ignatowski close behind. An officer approached me and said, 'Don’t touch them. We may have an atrocity here. ’ I understand Ralph had been bayoneted numerous times; some punctures bled, some did not. ”
- Ignatowski's death is also mentioned in the book Flags of Our Fathers, coauthored by the son of flag raiser John Bradley. Flags Of Our Fathers (2000 is the New York Times bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers about the five United States The following are his recollections of Ignatowski's death:
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- I have tried so hard to block this out. To forget it. We could choose a buddy to go in with. My buddy was a guy from Milwaukee. We were pinned down in one area. Someone elsewhere fell injured and I ran to help out, and when I came back my buddy was gone. I couldn’t figure out where he was. I could see all around, but he wasn’t there. And nobody knew where he was.
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- A few days later someone yelled that they’d found him. They called me over because I was a corpsman. The Japanese had pulled him underground and tortured him. His fingernails. . . his tongue. . . It was terrible. I’ve tried hard to forget all this. "
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- Many years later, in researching my father’s life, I asked Cliff Langley, Doc’s co-corpsman, about the discovery of Iggy’s body. Langley told me it looked to him as though Ralph Ignatowski had endured just about every variety of physical cruelty imaginable.
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- "Both his arms were fractured," Langley said. "They just hung there there like arms on a broken doll. He had been bayoneted repeatedly. The back of his head had been smashed in. "
- In the film Flags of Our Fathers, Ignatowski was portrayed by actor Jamie Bell. Flags of Our Fathers is a 2006 American War film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles Jr Jamie Bell' (born 14 March 1986 in Billingham, County Durham, England) is a BAFTA -winning English Actor. He is seen in the opening scenes at Iwo Jima, and the film chronicles Bradley's search for Ignatowski. In the end, Ignatowski's body is found, but it is only alluded to; the viewer never sees the body. During the film, Bradley constantly asks, "Where is he?" as he flashbacks to the battle and his search for his buddy.
- In the film Letters from Iwo Jima, a nameless American is beaten and bayonneted repeatedly. is a 2006 War film directed by Clint Eastwood whose cast includes Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. This is a possible allusion to Ignatowski's grisly demise.
- Other eyewitness reports further indicated that Ignatowski had been tortured in the cave by the Japanese for three days, during which time they also cut out his eyes, cut off his ears, smashed in his teeth, and cut off his genitalia and stuffed them into his mouth. [1]
Aftermath
Ignatowski was awarded the Purple Heart with Gold Star, Presidential Unit Citation with Star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving For the Israeli beer see Goldstar. The Gold Star medal is a special insignia that identifies recipients of the title "Hero" in the Please see " Presidential Unit Citation " for other nations' versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945.
His remains were initially interred with military honors in Grave 1201, Row 11, Plot 5, Fifth Marine Division Cemetery, Iwo Jima; in 1949 Ignatowski's body was exhumed and reinterred at the Rock Island, Illinois National Military Cemetery. Rock Island is a City in and the County seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States.
Honors
The AMVETS Ralph A. AMVETS or American Veterans is a volunteer-led organization formed by World War II Veterans which accepts honorably discharged veterans as members Ignatowski Memorial Post 60, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was officially dedicated on Sunday, June 03, 1956. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
References
- Semper Chai!: Marines of Blue and White (and Red), Howard J. Leavitt
- Muster Roll of Officers and Enlisted Men of the U. S. Marine Corps, Second Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Marines, Fifth Marine Division Fleet Marine Force, 1 February to 28 February 1945
- First Battalion of the 28th Marines on Iwo Jima, Bob Allen
- Flags Of Our Fathers,, James Bradley, Bantam Books, Division of Random House, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York, 10036, May 2000, p. 344-345
Notes
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