René Arthur Gagnon was a United States Marine Corps corporal who participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
Private René Gagnon, USMC in 1943
Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima
Marine Corps photo of the two flags on Mount Suribachi (Pfc. Gagnon in forefront helping to lower the first flag)
Seventh-War-Loan-Drive-Poster (May 11–July 4, 1945)
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the purpose of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field.
A U.S. 37 mm (1.5 in) M3 anti-tank gun fires against Japanese cave positions in the north face of Mount Suribachi.
Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
The battleship USS New York firing her 14 in (360 mm) main guns on the island, 16 February 1945 (D minus 3)
Admiral Raymond A. Spruance