Ernest Ivy Thomas, Jr

Early life

Ernest Thomas was born in Tampa, Florida, the son of Ernest and Martha Thomas. When he was a child, his family moved to Monticello, Florida. He graduated from high school in Monticello and was attending Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana, studying aeronautical engineering, when he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps at Orlando, Florida. Being color blind, in order to pass the medical test allowing him to enlist, he memorized the patterns provided by a man sitting next to him in the testing station.

U.S. Marine Corps

Thomas enlisted in the Marine Corps on May 27, 1942. He completed "boot" camp at Parris Island, South Carolina and remained there as an instructor. Afterwards, he ("Boots Thomas") was an instructor at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In March 1944, he was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, CA. In September, his company was sent to Camp Tarawa in Hawaii to train with the 5th division for the Battle of Iwo Jima. In January 1945, the 5th division left for Iwo Jima.

Raising the flag on Iwo Jima

On February 19, 1945, Thomas, a rifle company platoon sergeant with Third Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, landed on the southern beach towards Mount Suribachi with the first wave of Marines on Iwo Jima. On February 21, Thomas took over the command of the Third Platoon from his platoon commander who was wounded. Thomas and his men successfully assaulted a heavily fortified hostile sector at the base of Mount Suribachi which helped contribute to the eventual capture of Mount Suribachi on February 23 by Thomas's platoon. Thomas directed tank fire while under fire during the Marine assaults on the Japanese, and combined with his other heroic actions on February 21, he earned for himself the Navy Cross.

On February 23 at 8 a.m., 1st Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, E Company's executive officer, led a 40-man combat patrol, mostly made up of members of Third Platoon, E Company, up Mount Suribachi to seize and occupy the crest. Schrier was to raise an American flag to signal that the mountaintop had been captured. Two Marines found a section of Japanese water pipe on top of the mountain that became the flagstaff. Schrier, Sergeant Henry Hansen, and Corporal Charles Lindberg, with the help of Thomas, attached the flag to the pipe, which was held by Private Phil Ward (Thomas was ready with a grenade in hand in case any Japanese tried to charge them from caves). At approximately 10:20-10:35 a.m., Schrier, Platoon Sergeant Thomas, and Hansen raised the flag, planting the steel pipe into the ground. Seeing the raising of the national colors immediately caused a reaction of loud victorious cheers with some gunfire from the Marines, sailors, and coast guardsmen on the beach below and from the men on the ships near the beach; ships' whistles and horns sounded too.

It was determined by the Marines that a larger flag was needed to be seen more easily from the north side of Mount Suribachi, where most of the Japanese soldiers were located and heavy fighting would occur in the days ahead. In the afternoon, the replacement flag was brought up Mount Suribachi by the Second Battalion's runner (messenger) for Easy Company, followed by four Marines from Second Platoon, Easy Company, who were to raise this flag on top. The flag was attached to another Japanese pipe and raised and planted (as the other flagstaff came down) by the four Marines, the runner, and a Marine from Schrier's 40-man patrol.

On February 24, Schrier ordered Thomas to report to the flagship USS Eldorado (AGC-11) the next morning to meet with Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner and Lieutenant General Holland Smith about the flag raising. After the interview with the two commanders, Thomas was interviewed by a CBS news broadcaster aboard ship, saying that Schrier, Hansen, and he had actually raised the flag. Thomas then returned to his platoon, which was still positioned on top of Mount Suribachi.

Death and burial on Iwo Jima

On March 3, Thomas was killed by enemy rifle fire at the north end of Iwo Jima. Thomas was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross (for the February 21 action) and the Purple Heart Medal. He was buried on Iwo Jima at the 5th Marine Division cemetery.

On March 14, a flag was officially raised by orders of Lieutenant General Holland Smith on the north end of the island where 3rd Marine Division troops were located, and the second flag which was raised on February 23 on Mount Suribachi came down. A service was held at the 5th Division cemetery on March 26, the morning of the day the battle ended.

In 1948, Thomas's body was returned to Monticello, Florida. He was buried at Roseland Cemetery in Jefferson County, Florida.

Marine Corps War Memorial

The Marine Corps War Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia which was inspired by Rosenthal's photograph of the second flag-raising by six Marines atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, was dedicated on November 10, 1954. Harold Schrier, Charles Lindberg, James Michels, and Lou Lowery, who were present at the first flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, attended the dedication.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower sat upfront with Vice President Richard Nixon, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Anderson, and General Lemuel C. Shepherd, the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps during the dedication ceremony. Two of the three surviving flag-raisiers depicted on the monument, Ira Hayes and Rene Gagnon, were seated together with John Bradley (a Navy corpsman who was incorrectly identified as being a surviving flag-raiser) in the front rows of seats along with relatives of those who were killed in action on the island. Speeches were given by Richard Nixon, Robert Anderson who dedicated the memorial, and General Shepherd who presented the memorial to the American people. Inscribed on the memorial are the following words:

In Honor And Memory Of The Men of The United States Marine Corps Who Have Given Their Lives To Their Country Since 10 November 1775

Military awards

Thomas's military decorations and awards include:

Navy Cross citation

The Navy Cross is presented posthumously to Ernest I. Thomas Jr., United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism as a Rifle Platoon Leader serving with Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Marines, Fifth Marine Division, during action on enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 21 February 1945. When his platoon leader was wounded, Platoon Sergeant Thomas assumed command and, before supporting tanks arrived to cover him, led his men in an assault on a fanatically defended and heavily fortified hostile sector at the base of Mount Suribachi. With the tanks unable to proceed over the rough terrain beyond positions 75 to 100 yards at the rear of our attacking forces, Platoon Sergeant Thomas ran repeatedly to the nearest tank, and in a position exposed to heavy and accurate machine-gun and mortar barrages, directed the fire of the tanks against the Japanese pillboxes which were retarding his platoon's advance. After each trip to the tanks, he returned to his men and led them in assaulting and neutralizing enemy emplacements, continuing to advance against the Japanese with a knife as his only weapon after the destruction of his rifle by hostile fire. Under his aggressive leadership, the platoon killed all the enemy in the sector and contributed materially to the eventual capture of Mount Suribachi. His daring initiative, fearless leadership and unwavering devotion to duty were inspiring to those with whom he served and reflect the highest credit upon Platoon Sergeant Thomas and the United States Naval Service.

Other honors

A monument on U.S. Highway 90, Monticello, Florida, honors Thomas. It is inscribed with the following words:

Portrayal in film

In the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers, Thomas was played by American actor Brian Kimmet.