| Corporal Rene A. Gagnon, USMCR Iwo Jima Flag Raiser |
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The youngest of the flag-raisers, and the one who actually carried the flag up Mount Suribachi, Rene Arthur Gagnon was not quite 19 when the famous photo was taken. He was born at Manchester, New Hampshire, on 7 March 1926, the son of Henry Gagnon and Irene Yvonne Gagnon. He attended the schools of Manchester and completed two years of high school before leaving to take a job with a local textile mill. On 6 May 1943, he was inducted into the Marine Corps Reserve and sent to Marine Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina.
From Parris Island, Private First Class Gagnon, promoted on 16 July 1943, was transferred to the Marine Guard Company at Charleston, South Carolina, Navy Yard. He remained there for eight months and then joined the Military Police Company of the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California. Four days later, on 8 April, he was transferred to Company E, 2d Battalion, 28th Marines.
After training at Camp Pendleton and in Hawaii, Gagnon landed with his unit on Iwo Jima on 19 February. After Iwo Jima was secured, he was ordered to Washington, arriving 7 April. Together with the two other survivors, Pharmacist's Mate Bradley and Private First Class Hayes, he was assigned to temporary duty with the Finance Division, U.S. Treasury Department, for appearances in connection with the Seventh War Loan Drive.
He finished the tour on 5 July and was ordered to San Diego for further transfer overseas. Private First Class Gagnon was married to Miss Pauline Georgette Harnois of Hooksett, New Hampshire in Baltimore, Maryland on 7 July.
By September, he was on his way overseas again, this time with the 80th Replacement Draft. On 7 November 1945, he arrived at Tsingtao, China, where he joined Company E, 2d Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division. He later served with the 3d Battalion of the same regiment.
On duty with the U.S. occupation forces in China for nearly five months, Private First Class Gagnon board ship at Tsingtao at the end of March and sailed for San Diego, arriving on 20 April.
With nine days short of three years' service in the Marine Corps Reserve, of which 14 months was spent overseas, Gagnon was promoted to corporal and discharged on 27 April 1946. Corporal Gagnon died on 12 October 1979 in Manchester, New Hampshire and was buried at Mount Calvary Mausoleum. At his widow's request, Gagnon's remains were reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery on 7 July 1981. Rene is the flag raiser buried closest to the Marine Corps War Memorial (a.k.a. Washington Iwo Jima Statue.)
Corporal Gagnon was awarded the following decorations and awards:
Presidential Unit Citation with one star (for Iwo Jima);
American Campaign Medal;
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one star (for Iwo Jima);
The World War II Victory Medal, and;
The China Service Medal.
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Created 05 Feb 97. Updated 08 Jul 01