Ira Hayes Questions Misidentification
Recounted is the story of how Ira Hayes knew that it was actually Corporal Harlon Block in the photograph, and tried to bring the misidentification to the attention of the Marine Corps, but was told that since both Hansen and Block were dead, he should let it go. Their story differs from that of most Hayes biographers as they transcribe a letter which Hayes wrote to Belle Block (Harlon's mother) on July 12, 1946, confirming it was Harlon in the photograph (after she first wrote to him). They do not mention the "hitchhiking to Texas to tell them the truth" story.
After Belle Block sent Hayes' letter to her congressman, he called on the Marine Corps to investigate the matter. Hayes gave a sworn affidavit to Marine Corps investigators in December 1946, stating on the record that it was actually Block in the photograph, not Hansen, and pointed out several significant uniform discrepancies between the figure in the famous photograph and that of Hansen in photographs taken earlier that day and in the "Gung Ho" photograph taken only moments after the second flagraising.
Before seeing Hayes' hand-written notes and identifications on the photographs, both Bradley and Gagnon sent notarized statements reaffirming their earlier identification of Hansen. After being shown Hayes' material, Bradley wrote a letter to the investigators which he ended by saying, "...it could be Block." Hayes' material and Bradley's letter were then sent to Gagnon, who, according to this book, gave in and acquiesced in a letter, the first paragraph of which was copied word-for-word from Bradley's.
Read more about this topic: Shadow Of Suribachi: Raising The Flags On Iwo Jima
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