Harlon

Wow, I think I'm getting used to submitting one work a day. Let's see if I can mantain this schedule of work, haha.

So now that I'm reading 'Flags of our fathers' (and, surprisingly, I found it isn't partial at all) I decided to colorize this picture of Harlon Block, one of the famous flag-raisers of Iwo Jima. There were 6 flag-raisers, but Harlon's story was the one that shocked me the most. He was a farm-boy at Weslaco, Texas, brought up in an adventist family. He was a shy, but enthusiastic boy who loved playing football and horse-riding. He enrolled in the Marines with his football team after skipping a day of classes. They had to have a good alibi to avoid their teachers' anger, so one of Harlon's buddies suggested enrolling.
Harlon enrolled at age 18 and then became a parachuter. He fought in Bougainville before being sent to Iwo Jima. He was so sure he would die in his next battle that, during a furlough, he would take long walks in the mosquito fields to catch malaria. He thought that if he fell ill that would be a signal of God telling him not to go to war. But, eventually, Harlon didn't catch it.
Harlon horribly died at age 20 by a mortar explosion, just 6 days after the famous photo was taken. His last words were 'They killed me!'
Harlon Block became famous for being one of the flag-raisers of Iwo Jima. His mom, Belle, recognized him immediately when she saw his picture on newspapers. However, he was misidentified by one of his comrades, Rene Gagnon. No one believe Belle when she stated that the soldier in the Iwo Jima picture was her son. She defended herself saying 'I have changed so many diapers in that kid's butt. I know my boy', but she would have to wait to years after one of Harlon's comrades, Ira Hayes, admitted that the boy in the picture definetely WAS Harlon.
Harlon Block is now buried in an Iwo Jima memorial in Texas.