Ernest Ivy Thomas, Jr.

Ernest Ivy Thomas, Jr.
Nickname(s)	Boots
Born	(1924-03-10)March 10, 1924 Tampa, Florida
Died	Iwo Jima
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1942-1945
Rank	Platoon Sergeant
Unit	2nd Battalion, 28th Marines
Battles/wars	World War II *Battle of Iwo Jima
Awards	Navy Cross Purple Heart Medal Combat Action Ribbon Presidential Unit Citation

Ernest Ivy "Boots" Thomas, Jr. (March 10, 1924 – March 3, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps platoon sergeant who was killed in action on March 3, 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was one of the Marines who raised the first of two American flags on top of Mount Suribachi, on February 23, 1945. Thomas was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in action at the base of Mount Suribach on February 21, 1945.

Early life

Ernest Thomas was born in Tampa, Florida, the son of Ernest and Martha Thomas. When he was a child, his family moved to Monticello, Florida. He graduated from high school in Monticello and was attending Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana, studying aeronautical engineering, when he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps at Orlando, Florida. Being color blind, in order to pass the medical test allowing him to enlist, he memorized the patterns provided by a man sitting next to him in the testing station.

World War II

U.S. Marine Corps

Thomas enlisted in the Marine Corps on May 27, 1942. He completed "boot" camp at Parris Island, South Carolina and remained there as an instructor. Afterwards, he ("Boots Thomas") was an instructor at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In March 1944, he was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, CA. In September, his company was sent to Camp Tarawa in Hawaii to train with the 5th division for the Battle of Iwo Jima. In January 1945, the 5th division left for Iwo Jima.

Raising the flag on Iwo Jima

SSgt. Lou Lowery's most widely circulated picture of the first American flag flown on Mount Suribachi.
Left to right: 1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier (crouched behind radioman), Pfc. Raymond Jacobs (radioman), Sgt. Henry "Hank" Hansen (soft cap, holding flag pipe), Pvt. Phil Ward (helmeted, holding lower pipe with both hands, Platoon Sgt. Ernest Thomas (seated), PhM2c John Bradley, USN (helmeted, standing above Thomas with right hand securing the pipe), Pfc. James Michels (holding M1 carbine), and Cpl. Charles W. Lindberg (standing above Michels).

On February 19, 1945, Sgt. Thomas, a rifle company platoon sergeant with Third Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, landed on the southern beach towards Mount Suribachi with the first wave of Marines on Iwo Jima. On February 21, Thomas took over the command of Third Platoon from his platoon commander who was wounded. Thomas and his men successfully assaulted a heavily fortified hostile sector at the base of Mount Suribachi which contributed to the eventual capture of Mount Suribachi on February 23. Thomas directed tank fire while under fire during the Marine assaults, and combined with other heroic actions that day, he earned for himself the Navy Cross.

On February 23, 1st Lt. Harold Schrier, the E Company executive officer who had taken over the command of the Third Platoon from Thomas, led a 40-man combat patrol from the Third Platoon (and Pfc. Raymond Jacobs, a radioman reaasigned from F Company to E Company) up Mount Suribachi to attack and capture the summit and raise an American flag. Thomas, Schrier's platoon sergeant on the patrol, was one of the Marines who found a section of Japanese water pipe on the summit that became the flagpole for the first American flag that was raised on Mount Suribachi at 10:20-10:35 a.m. In the afternoon, a larger replacement flag attached on another steel pipe was raised while the first and smaller flag and pipe was taken down.

Thomas was ordered by Schrier to report to the flagship USS Eldorado (AGC-11) to meet with Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner and Lieutenant General Holland Smith on February 25. Thomas was interviewed at a news broadcast aboard ship about the flag-raising, and said that Lt. Schrier, Sgt. Henry Hansen, and he, had actually raised the flag. Thomas afterwards returned to his platoon on Iwo Jima. On March 1, Sgt. Hansen was killed in action. On March 3, Thomas was killed by enemy rifle fire on the north end of Iwo Jima, opposite where Mount Suribachi is located on the island. Thomas was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross (for the February 21 action) and the Purple Heart Medal.

On March 14, a flag was officially raised by orders of Lt. Gen. General Holland Smith on the north end of the island where 3rd Marine Division troops were located, and the flag flying on Mount Suribachi came down. On March 26, the battle of Iwo Jima officially ended.

Burial on Iwo Jima

Thomas was buried on Iwo Jima at the 5th Marine Division cemetery. In 1948, his body was returned to Monticello from Iwo Jima. He was buried at Roseland Cemetery in Jefferson County, Florida.

Military awards

Thomas's U.S. military decorations and awards:

• Navy Cross
• Purple Heart Medal
• Combat Action Ribbon
• Presidential Unit Citation
• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with ​³⁄₁₆ bronze star
• World War II Victory Medal

Navy Cross citation

The Navy Cross is presented posthumously to ERNEST I. THOMAS, JR., UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE, for extraordinary heroism as a Rifle Platoon Leader serving with Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Marines, Fifth Marine Division, during action on enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 21 February 1945. When his platoon leader was wounded, Platoon Sergeant THOMAS assumed command and, before supporting tanks arrived to cover him, led his men in an assault on a fanatically defended and heavily fortified hostile sector at the base of Mount Suribachi. With the tanks unable to proceed over the rough terrain beyond positions 75 to 100 yards at the rear of our attacking forces, Platoon Sergeant THOMAS ran repeatedly to the nearest tank, and in a position exposed to heavy and accurate machine-gun and mortar barrages, directed the fire of the tanks against the Japanese pillboxes which were retarding his platoon's advance. After each trip to the tanks, he returned to his men and led them in assaulting and neutralizing enemy emplacements, continuing to advance against the Japanese with a knife as his only weapon after the destruction of his rifle by hostile fire. Under his aggressive leadership, the platoon killed all the enemy in the sector and contributed materially to the eventual capture of Mount Suribachi. His daring initiative, fearless leadership and unwavering devotion to duty were inspiring to those with whom he served and reflect the highest credit upon Platoon Sergeant THOMAS and the United States Naval Service.

Other honors

A monument on U.S. Highway 90, Monticello, Florida, honors Thomas. It is inscribed with the following words:

In recognition of Platoon Sergeant Ernest I. Thomas USMCR who on February 23, 1945, led his platoon to raise the first flag on Iwo Jima, the first Japanese territory taken in World War II. On March 3, eight days after the first flag raising and ten days after he earned the Navy Cross for heroism in action, he was killed leading his men in combat.
March 10, 1924 - March 3, 1945.

Portrayal in film

In the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers, Thomas was played by American actor Brian Kimmet.

References

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