Bill Genaust
William Homer "Bill" Genaust (1907 – March 4, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant who served as a war photographer in World War II, first in the battle of Saipan, then the battle of Iwo Jima, where he was killed in action. He is most known for filming the second American Flag Raising on top of Mount Suribachi (Iwo Jima), on February 23, 1945, using a then modern and lightweight 16 millimeter motion picture camera which used 50-foot color film cassettes.[1][2]
U.S. Marine Corps
World War II
Genaust enlisted in the Marine Corps on February 11, 1943 to be a combat cameraman. After recruit training, he was sent to Quantico, Virginia to become a Marine Corps still photographer and motion picture camera photographer.
Battle of Saipan
Genaust served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" (and Purple Heart Medal) in September 1945 for heroic actions using a rifle in a firefight on Saipan on July 9, 1944. He was recommended for the Navy Cross by Norman Hatch, his photo section commander, but the nomination was turned down because Genaust was a cameraman and not an infantryman.[2] A Presidential Unit Citation (June 15 to July 24, 1944) was also awarded for Saipan (and Navy Unit Commendation was awarded to him for Iwo Jima). It took 8 months for Genaust to recover from his leg wound he obtained on Saipan. He was given the offer to go back home, but instead volunteered to go to Iwo Jima.[2]
Battle of Iwo Jima
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Now a staff sergeant, Genaust was next assigned to help train Marine photographers on how to film in a combat zone.[2] Then, three Marine divisions in a force of approximately 70,000 servicemen which include about 60 Marine Cameramen and Genaust are about to assault Iwo Jima. Genaust would accompany the Marine infantrymen riding in on landing craft. On February 19, filming on the way in, he lands on the beach with members of the 4th Marine Division.[2] On the third day, he heads closer in towards Mount Suribachi and is teamed with Marine still photographer Pfc. Bob Campbell and proceeds to take more film action at the base of Suribachi.[2]
Flag raising
On February 23, 1945, a 40-man patrol consisting primarily of members of Third Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division and led by 1st Lt. Harold Schrier who had taken over the platoon and volunteered for the mission to climb and secure the top of the summit of Mount Suribachi and raise a small American flag, raises the flag attached to a steel water pipe about 10:30 a.m. Marine photographer SSgt. Lou Lowery accompanies the patrol and photos the Marines and corpsmen climbing to top of Suribachi and the flag raising event. Around noon, armed Marine photographers Genaust, Campbell are ordered up Suribachi to photo and film another flag raising.[2] They meet unarmed Associated Press (AP) photographer Joe Rosenthal who had also landed with the 4th division but missed the first flag raising,[2] and climb up Mount Suribachi with him as a 4-man team of Marines from Second Platoon climbs up too with orders to raise another larger flag. The American flag and pipe is to be replaced by a larger American flag attached on another steel pipe that is visible from any point on the island.[1] On the way up Genaust and the other combat photographers with him meet Lowery who tells them about the flag raising. Genaust with his motion picture camera stands at the left side of Rosenthal and films the larger flag and pipe being hoisted by the four Marines, a Marine runner who also climbed up with the flag, and a Navy corpsman who was already on top with the previous patrol.
Under Schrier's direction, the larger flag and pipe was raised as the smaller flag and pipe was lowered.[1] Genaust's film briefly captures the infantrymen getting in place to raise the larger flag and flag pipe and the raising and securing of the larger flag and pipe with large rocks at the bottom of the pipe.[2] Rosenthal who took the then and now famous black and white photograph of the replacement flag raising then took a large group shot (called the "Gung Ho" photo) of Marines posing under the larger flag. Similar still photographs on the summit were also taken by Rosenthal, Campbell, and some other photographers during this event.[3] Genaust's film also captures other Marines including Schrier and Platoon Sereant Ernest Thomas as they salute and gaze up at the larger flag raising.[2] These Marines are not visible in Rosenthal's famous photograph.
Death
Genaust and possibly another Marine were killed on March 4, 1945 by enemy small arms fire after they entered a darkened cave on Hill 362A located on the northwest corner of Iwo Jima. He had volunteered, and more likely used his flashlight instead of his camera light in the cave. The cave mouth was covered over by bulldozing equipment, and despite renewed search efforts in 2007, his and the other Marine's body have never been recovered.[2][4][5] Genaust is among 250 missing on Iwo Jima although most of those Americans were lost at sea.
Military awards
Genaust received the following military decorations and awards:
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Certificate of Appreciation
Genaust received a posthumous Certificate of Appreciation from the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Paul X. Kelley on 26 April 1984.
Sergeant Genaust Award
The Sergeant William Genaust Award is presented each year by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, one of a series of awards to both Marines and civilian community members recognizing their work in advancing and preserving Marine Corps history. It is given for a documentary and short subject (15 minutes or less) dealing creatively with U.S. Marine Corps heritage or Marine Corps life.
References
- 1 2 3 Albee, Parker Bishop, Jr. (1995). Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima. Praeger Publishers. pp. 48, 58. ISBN 0-275-95063-8.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 You Tube, Smithsonian Channel, 2008 Documentary (Genaust films) "Shooting Iwo Jima" Retrieved July 5, 2015
- ↑ Albee, Parker Bishop, Jr. (1995). Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima. Praeger Publishers. pp. 61–65. ISBN 0-275-95063-8.
- ↑ Albee, Parker Bishop, Jr. (1995). Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima. Praeger Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 0-275-95063-8.
- ↑ "Team Find Two Possible Sites in Search for Remains of Marine From Iwo Jima Flag-Raising". Fox News. June 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ↑ Combat Action Ribbon (1969): Retroactive from December 7, 1941: Public Law 106-65, October 5, 1999, 113 STAT 508, Sec. 564
External links
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- Chlosta, SSgt Matthew, U.S. Army (July 6, 2007). "JPAC investigation team returns from Iwo Jima (re: William Genaust)". Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).