Between 1880 and 1938, about a million inhabitants of Slovakia left to go to the United States of America, mostly for social reasons. They were mostly employed in the mining and steel industries, but many of them, from the first generation and especially the later generations, made remarkable contributions to the history of the USA. One of them, long forgotten in his homeland, was Michal Strenk (Michael Strank), who was depicted in the iconic picture by Joe Rosenthal, who captured one of the key moments of the fierce battle for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima from mid-February to the end of March 1945.
Michal Strenk was born in the Ruthenian village of Jarabina in the district of Stará Ľubovňa on 10th November 1919. At the age of six he emigrated, with his parents to Pennsylvania, where his father worked in a steel factory. After graduating from high school and a short period of civil employment, he joined the American Marine Corps in October 1939. He participated in military operations in the Pacific and was promoted to Sergeant in 1942. During the invasion of the island of Iwo Jima, he commanded a squad of Marine Corps Special Forces and after the main plateau of the island was seized, Mount Suribachi, on 23rd February 1945, he participated in the second raising of the American flag, symbolising the winning of control over the battlefield. The photograph of this was the forerunner of the bronze monument erected at the Arlington Military Cemetery (close to Washington DC) and its many reproductions, including postage stamps. He died on 1st March 1945 during the on-going battles to secure the island.
Officially, Sergeant Strenk was not a citizen of the USA at the time of his service in the US Army. His relatives received his certificate of naturalization from the Immigration Office on 29th July 2008.

Anton Hrnko