Dave Severance

Severance died on August 2, 2021, at his home in La Jolla. He was 102 years old and was buried at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego on September 15.

On February 4, 2019, Severance celebrated his 100th birthday. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert Neller, sent a letter to Severance on his birthday, stating "you played a crucial role in shaping the warrior ethos of our Corps."

Severance is featured in the 2006 movie Flags of Our Fathers. In the movie, Severance is played by American actor Neal McDonough. American actor Harve Presnell also played Severance as an older man in the film.

Johnson then ordered Severance to have his Marines lay a telephone wire up to the top of Suribachi. Severance ordered four Marines from 2nd Platoon, Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First Classes Ira Hayes and Franklin Sousley to reel a telephone wire up the mountain from the battalion command post. He then sent his runner, Private First Class Rene Gagnon, to the battalion command post to obtain radio batteries for Schrier. As the five Marines arrived at the command post, Tuttle also returned to Johnson with a 96 by 56 inch flag which he had acquired from USS LST-779. Johnson handed the flag to Gagnon and then told Strank to raise the second flag and have Schrier "save the small flag for me."

Upon retirement, Severance and his wife settled in La Jolla, California. In the 1980s, he began searching for surviving Easy Company Marines and organized multiple reunions. In the late 1990s, Severance gave a number of interviews to James Bradley while he was writing his book Flags of Our Fathers. Bradley's father, John Bradley, served with Easy Company as a corpsman and was originally identified as one of the flag raisers. Severance had also recommended John Bradley for the Navy Cross for his actions at Iwo Jima.

After returning to the United States, Severance attended flight training in April 1946. During the Korean War, he flew 69 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross along with four Air Medals. Severance also served during the Vietnam War before retiring from the Marines with the rank of colonel in May 1968.

At approximately 09:55 on February 19, 1945, Severance led Easy Company ashore with the twelfth wave at Green Beach One during the battle of Iwo Jima. Easy Company landed unopposed and was in the assembly area on the beach for roughly 20 minutes before the defending Japanese finally opened fire on the invasion force.

After the battle, Severance returned to Camp Tarawa with the 5th Marine Division. He began training a new company in preparation of the invasion of Japan, but then the war ended. He then took part in occupation duty in Japan in late 1945 as the executive officer of 2/28.

In January 1944, the Paramarines withdrew from Bougainville and returned to San Diego. In February, the Paramarines were disbanded and Captain Severance was reassigned to 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, where he was appointed the Easy Company commander.

In September 1944, Severance and the rest of the 5th Marine Division left San Diego for Camp Tarawa, Hawaii. In January 1945, the division left Camp Tarawa, stopping for a brief liberty at Pearl Harbor, before sailing west across the Pacific Ocean bound for Iwo Jima. Captain Severance celebrated his 26th birthday at sea.

After the United States entered World War II, Sergeant Severance was sent to Officer Candidates School and commissioned as a second lieutenant. In 1943, Severance was deployed to the Pacific Theater with the Paramarines, and by November, his unit was taking part in the Bougainville campaign. At Bougainville, Severance proved himself in battle by leading his cut off platoon out of a Japanese ambush with minimal casualties.

On February 23, Lieutenant Colonel Chandler W. Johnson, 2/28's commanding officer, ordered Severance to send one platoon up the face of Suribachi. Severance decided to send his 3rd Platoon up the mountain, along with 12 Marines from his Weapons Platoon. Severance ordered his executive officer, First Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, to lead the platoon up Suribachi. Just before Schrier left with the platoon, Johnson handed him a 54 by 28 inch American flag and said "If you get to the top, put it up." The flag had been taken from the USS Missoula (APA-211) by the battalion adjutant, First Lieutenant George G. Wells. Severance later admitted that he thought he was sending the platoon up Suribachi to certain death.

Dave Elliott Severance (February 4, 1919 – August 2, 2021) was a United States Marine Corps colonel. During World War II, he served as the commanding officer of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines and led his company in the battle of Iwo Jima. During the battle, Severance ordered his 3rd Platoon to scale Mount Suribachi and raise the flag at the summit.

Severance was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 4, 1919. He was raised in Greeley, Colorado before briefly attending college at the University of Washington. When he ran out of money for school, Severance enlisted in the Marine Corps. Upon graduating from boot camp, he served on board the USS Lexington (The Mighty Lex) aircraft carrier at sea. He was then assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment in San Diego before attending Paramarine training in July 1941.