Harold "God" Schrier

Harold "God" Schrier was a United States Marine Corps officer best known for leading the patrol that raised the first American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. A native of Washington state, he served with the 5th Marine Division and played a prominent role in one of the Pacific War's most iconic moments, which became entwined with the histories of the United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and the broader narrative of the Pacific Theater (World War II). Schrier's action influenced public memory alongside figures such as Joe Rosenthal, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, General Holland M. Smith, and units including the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines and the 3rd Marine Division.

Early life and education

Harold Schrier was born in Auburn, Washington, and grew up in a milieu connected to the Pacific Northwest's logging and agricultural communities alongside contemporaries from Seattle and Tacoma. He completed secondary schooling in the region before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1938, a period contemporaneous with the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and increasing global tensions involving Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and the Axis powers (World War II). His formative years overlapped with national events such as the Great Depression and regional developments tied to the Boeing aviation boom and the expansion of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard activities. Schrier received his initial Marine Corps training at boot camps that prepared recruits for service on naval vessels and in amphibious operations central to planning by leaders like Admiral Ernest King and Admiral Raymond A. Spruance.

Military career and World War II

After enlistment, Schrier advanced through enlisted ranks and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, reflecting personnel pathways used by the United States Marine Corps during the lead-up to and conduct of World War II. He was assigned to the 5th Marine Division, which trained extensively for amphibious assaults at locations associated with Camp Pendleton, San Diego, and Pacific staging areas supporting operations in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the Marianas campaign. The 5th Marine Division was activated under commanders who coordinated with higher headquarters including Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet and theater commanders such as Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. and General Douglas MacArthur (in related Pacific operations). Schrier saw combat during the Battle of Iwo Jima, a major operation planned by staff from Joint Chiefs of Staff deliberations and executed under directives shaped by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and General Holland M. Smith. Within the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, Schrier served as a platoon officer and led patrols that encountered fortified positions built by the Imperial Japanese Army on volcanic terrain dominated by Mount Suribachi.

Raising the first flag on Mount Suribachi

On February 23, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, Schrier led a 40-man patrol from the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines up Mount Suribachi to seize the summit and report on enemy positions to battalion and regimental commanders such as those in the 5th Marine Division and adjacent formations of the 3rd Marine Division. Carrying a flag provided by battalion command, Schrier and his noncommissioned officers—who included Marines connected to units like the Company C, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines—raised the first American flag on Mount Suribachi. That event preceded and contrasted with the later, larger flag-raising photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal that became an international symbol. Schrier's ascent and the initial flag-planting were reported through marine signal channels to ships including elements of the United States Navy task forces off Iwo Jima and drew attention from senior leaders such as Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and General Alexander Vandegrift in subsequent dispatches. The first flag-raising catalyzed morale across units engaged in the Iwo Jima operation and intersected with wartime media practices involving photographers, war correspondents, and press chains linked to outlets that covered interactions among figures like President Harry S. Truman and the War Department (United States).

Postwar career and later life

After World War II, Schrier was discharged from active duty and returned to civilian life in Washington state, where he engaged with veteran communities connected to organizations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He lived during the early Cold War era marked by policy decisions from entities like the Department of Defense (United States) and events including the Korean War and the evolving role of the United States Marine Corps in NATO and global contingencies. Schrier participated in commemorations of the Iwo Jima action alongside other veterans and representatives from institutions like the Marine Corps War Memorial trustees, fundraising bodies, and civic groups in Washington, D.C. and the Pacific Northwest. He died in 1971 in Seattle, leaving a legacy intertwined with public memory projects and museum exhibits that placed him in proximity to artifacts alongside those related to Joe Rosenthal and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Honors, awards, and legacy

Schrier received decorations from the United States Marine Corps and the Department of the Navy for his leadership during the Battle of Iwo Jima, and his role in the first flag-raising became a subject of historical accounts by authors, historians, and institutions including the National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, and military historians writing on the Battle of Iwo Jima. His actions have been invoked in discussions about wartime iconography alongside the famous Rosenthal photograph and memorial efforts such as the Marine Corps War Memorial dedication, involving figures like President Dwight D. Eisenhower in related historical memory. Schrier's example is cited in studies of small-unit leadership that reference professional military education curricula at institutions like the United States Naval Academy and the Marine Corps University. His personal story remains part of exhibits and oral histories maintained by museums and veteran organizations across the United States.

Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:American military personnel of World War II