(1925 – 1979) Marine Corps corporal who participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Gagnon was generally known as being one of the Marines who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as depicted in the iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal. In 2019, the Marine Corps announced that Corporal Harold Keller, not Gagnon, was in Rosenthal's photo. Gagnon was one of three men who were originally identified incorrectly as flag-raisers in the photograph (the others being Hank Hansen and John Bradley). The first flag that had been raised was deemed too small. Later that day, Gagnon, a runner in the 5th Marine Division, was given a larger flag to take up the mountain. A photo of the second flag-raising by photographer Joe Rosenthal became famous and was widely reproduced. After the battle, Gagnon, Bradley and Ira Hayes (the only actual 2nd flag raiser) were identified as surviving second flag-raisers and were reassigned to help raise funds for the Seventh War Loan drive. An important T.L.S. on Marine Corps Northeastern Recruiting Division letterhead, 1p. 4to., Manchester, NH, Jan. 10,1947 to Major Gen. P. A. del Valle who was tasked with determining the actual identities of all of the famous flag raisers. Gagnon writes, in part: '...The person is question in [the Rosenthal photograph]...is Hansen and I have these comments about it. I was in the same situation as BRADLEY was being on the top of the Mountain [Mount Suribachi] when the others came up for the purpose of raising the flag, and being there I gave them a hand. At the time of the raising I thought it was HANSEN but after more thought and studying of the picture I believe it could have been BLOCK...' Boldly signed by Gagnon, who had his statement notarized at bottom. File holes at top, else fine. There are a few mistruths in Gagnon's sworn statement. In actuality, he was not atop the mountain when the second flag arrived. It was Gagnon himself, a company messenger, who was sent down the mountain to fetch a spare radio battery and the second, larger flag seen in Rosenthal's photograph. On April 8, 1945, following the huge public response to Rosenthal's photograph, the Marine Corps gave a press release of the names of the six flag raisers in the Rosenthal photo given by Gagnon: Marines Michael Strank (KIA), Henry Hansen (KIA), Franklin Sousley (KIA), Ira Hayes, Navy corpsman John Bradley, and himself. Bradley later agreed with Gagnon's identification, as did Hayes (except for the Hansen/Block misidentification). After the interview, Pfc. Gagnon, Pfc. Hayes, and Bradley participated in the hugely successful Seventh War Loan drive. Of course, it is impossible to state whether Gagnon claimed to have been a flag raiser out of confusion, pressure from officers above, or a desire for glory. His statement is ambiguous ('I gave them a hand') and contains a key error, as described above. John Bradley made the same errors in identification as well. Or perhaps the real story is that Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon, the only survivors, were 'chosen' by the Marines to be flag raisers, for purposes of morale-boosting and war loan support back home. The answer will remain unknown.