14 Facts About Franklin Sousley

Franklin Runyon Sousley was a United States Marine who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

Franklin Sousley was one of the six marines who raised the second of two US flags on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23,1945, as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

When he was two years old, his five-year-old brother, Malcolm Brooks Franklin Sousley, died due to appendicitis.

Franklin Sousley attended a two-room schoolhouse in nearby Elizaville, and attended Fleming County High School in nearby Flemingsburg from ninth to twelfth grade.

Franklin Sousley's younger brother Julian was born in May 1933, and his father died due to diabetes complications a year later, at age 35.

At only nine years old, Franklin Sousley was the sole male-figure in the family, and assisted his mother in raising Julian.

Franklin Sousley graduated from Fleming High School in May 1943, and resided in Dayton, Ohio as a worker in a refrigerator factory.

Franklin Sousley received his draft notice, and chose to join the United States Marine Corps on January 5,1944.

Franklin Sousley was sent to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California.

Private First Class Franklin Sousley landed with his unit at the southeast end of Iwo Jima near Mount Suribachi which was the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines objective on February 19,1945, and fought in the battle for the capture of the island.

Franklin Sousley to find a steel pipe to attach the replacement flag unto.

Franklin Sousley was shot in the back by a Japanese sniper as he was walking down an open road which was a known area of enemy sniper fire, and speculated that he lost his focus or thought the Japanese had stopped firing.

Franklin Sousley's body was buried at the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, on March 25,1945.

Franklin Sousley's remains were reinterred on May 8,1948, in Elizaville Cemetery in Fleming County, Kentucky.