The Real Story of a Marine Who Fell Overboard in Flags of Our Fathers - #shorts #short

SAOZ

27 Jan 202400:40

Summary

TLDRDuring the invasion of Iwo Jima in WWII, a tragic event occurred when a U.S. Marine fell overboard from one of the ships in the massive naval convoy. The ships were unable to stop and rescue him without breaking formation. The Marine was thrown a life preserver in hopes he'd be saved by escort ships, but his fate remains unknown. This story was recounted by a Coast Guardsman who served on one of the ships. The fallen Marine was never identified, and may have been among the many who were lost in the battle.

Takeaways

😯 In Flags of Our Fathers, there's a scene based on a true event during the Iwo Jima invasion
😟 A Marine falls overboard from a ship in the huge convoy heading to Iwo Jima
😟 The ship behind sees him but can't stop to rescue him due to strict convoy speed/formation
🤝 They throw him a life preserver, hoping escort vessels will pick him up
😕 But they never find out if he survives this tragic event
🎥 The story is told by a Coast Guardsman who served on LST 763
😕 The name of the Marine who fell overboard is unknown
😟 He may have been one of the unidentified/unrecovered casualties
🎥 The scene is based on a true event during the Iwo Jima invasion convoy
😞 It highlights the tragedy and sacrifice of individual soldiers in war operations

Q & A

What movie is the scene from the script based on?
-The movie is Flags of Our Fathers.
What historic event was the movie about?
-The movie is about the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
What happens to the Marine in the scene described?
-He falls overboard from one of the ships in the convoy heading to Iwo Jima.
Why doesn't the ship behind rescue him?
-The convoy has to maintain strict formation and speed, so the ship is unable to stop and rescue him.
What do they throw to the Marine?
-They throw him a life preserver in hopes he can be rescued by escort vessels.
Who tells this story in the movie?
-Chad Hack, a Coast Guardsman who served on LST 763, tells the story.
What ship did Chad Hack serve on?
-Chad Hack served on LST 763.
Do they ever find out if the Marine survived?
-No, they never find out if he survived.
What is unknown about the Marine?
-His name is unknown.
What might have happened to the Marine?
-He may have been one of the many casualties never identified or recovered.

Outlines

00:00

😢 A marine falls overboard during the invasion of Iwo Jima

During the invasion of Iwo Jima in WWII, a marine fell overboard from one of the ships in the huge convoy heading to the island. The ship behind him saw him in the water but could not stop to rescue him due to the strict convoy formation and speed. They threw him a life preserver and hoped he would be picked up by escort vessels, but his fate remains unknown. He may have been one of many casualties never recovered.

⛹️‍♂️ The story is told by a Coast Guardsman

This tragic story of the marine who fell overboard is told by Chad Hack, a Coast Guardsman who served on LST 763. The name of the marine is unknown.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Convoy

A convoy refers to a group of vehicles traveling together for safety and coordination. In this context, it describes the large fleet of ships carrying troops and equipment that was heading to the island of Iwo Jima for the invasion. The convoy had to maintain strict speed and formation for protection against potential attacks. This made it impossible for the preceding ship to stop and rescue the fallen Marine without breaking formation.

💡Marine

A Marine refers to a member of the United States Marine Corps, an elite fighting force known for amphibious operations. The fallen Marine in this story was part of the massive assault force being transported to Iwo Jima, where they would face fierce resistance from entrenched Japanese defenders. His accidental fall into the ocean reflects the dangers faced by individual Marines in the massive coordination of the invasion.

💡LST

LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank. These were large seagoing vessels designed to directly land troops, vehicles and equipment onto enemy shores during amphibious assaults. LST-763 was one of hundreds of LSTs deployed in the Iwo Jima invasion fleet to deliver the men and machinery needed for the attack. It illustrates the massive scale of the operation.

💡life preserver

A life preserver is a flotation device designed to keep someone afloat in water. When the Marine fell overboard, the ship behind threw him one in hopes he could stay alive until being rescued. However, they were unable to stop and ensure his recovery. The futile life preserver symbolizes how individual soldiers were at the mercy of the rigid operational plan.

💡escort

Smaller, faster escort ships were assigned to guard the flanks and perimeter of the invasion convoy. It was hoped these escorts could pick up the overboard Marine. However, they never found out if he survived, illustrating the cruel uncertainty of war and how individual lives can't be prioritized in major operations.

💡casualty

A casualty refers to someone injured, killed, captured or missing in military action. The unknown Marine likely became another casualty, his fate obscured in the massive scale of the battle. Many casualties went unidentified and unrecovered - a sobering fact of the human cost of such a monumental campaign.

💡coast guardsman

A coast guardsman is a member of the US Coast Guard, which patrols coastal waters and often supports naval operations. In this case, Chad Hack, a coast guardsman, served aboard the LST recounting this tragic event. His perspective highlights that numerous armed services branches worked jointly to execute the invasion.

💡amphibious

An amphibious operation means attacking from sea onto land, requiring coordination of naval and ground forces. Iwo Jima involved a major amphibious assault, with troops transported by the naval convoy launching the attack from their landing ships. This reflected the complexity of such an ambitious joint maneuver.

💡entrenched

Entrenched means dug into a defensive position. It describes how Japanese troops fortified installations, caves and bunkers in Iwo Jima's harsh terrain to resist the coming invasion. Their entrenchment amplified the challenge for the amphibious assault by the approaching Marines and support forces.

💡resistance

Resistance refers to military opposition and defiance against an attack. The script notes the fierce resistance from dug-in Japanese defenders that Allied invaders would face on Iwo Jima. Despite the overwhelming force of the convoy's manpower and firepower, enemy resistance remained a formidable obstacle.

Highlights

A scene in Flags of Our Fathers is based on a true event during the invasion of Iwo Jima.

A marine falls overboard from a ship in the huge convoy heading to Iwo Jima.

The ship behind him sees him in the water but cannot stop to rescue him due to the strict convoy formation and speed.

They throw him a life preserver and hope he will be picked up by escort vessels.

They never find out if he survives this tragic story.

The story is told by a coast guardsman who served on LST 763.

The name of the marine who fell overboard is unknown.

He may have been one of the many casualties never identified or recovered.

Key events include a marine falling overboard during the Iwo Jima invasion convoy.

Ships in strict formation couldn't stop to rescue him and could only throw a preserver.

His fate is unknown, illustrating the tragedy and sacrifice of war.

The story comes from a coast guardsman on LST 763.

The marine remains unidentified, like many WWII casualties.

It highlights the harrowing nature of amphibious landings during WWII.

Sobering account of the human toll and collateral damage of large-scale naval operations.