Charlo shares poems about hero brother
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POLSON — The late U.S. Marine Pfc. Louis “Chuck” Charlo wasn’t one of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima, but he was at Mount Surabachi.
His youngest brother, Victor Charlo, 79, shared that relatively new information last week at the Miracle of America Museum in Polson.
Victor said that he found out a couple of years ago that his brother wasn’t one of the famous flag raisers after U.S. Marines scaled the mountain and cleared it of Japanese fighters on Feb. 23, 1945, during World War II.
He learned “the news” when historian Dustin Spence came out to interview him for a video, “Forgotten Flag Raisers,” in 2015.
Victor showed a photo of his brother atop the 528-foot peak and highest point on the volcanic island, which is located south of Japan and north of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Louis was a guard for the group that placed the flag, and he was killed six days after scaling the peak, Victor said.
The “misunderstanding” about his brother being a flag raiser had been going on for 45 years, Victor said, while speaking prior to one of the free monthly “Night at the Museum” events. Last week’s movie was the black-andwhite film from 1949, “Sands of Iwo Jima,” starring John Wayne.
Victor said he was six when his brother died. He remembers that he was feeding the family’s cows in Polson when he heard his mother, Mary Charlo, crying. A telegram from the U.S. Marine Corps was on the table when he returned to the house. “People just cried and cried for days,” he said. Victor said his mother refused to sign documents allowing her son Louis to join the military, but finally relented after Louis brought her a box of candy.
“He was a really, really nice guy,” said Victor. “He didn’t have to go into the military because he had a job on the railroads.” Louis was 17 when he enlisted, Victor said.
He finished his presentation by reading a poem about his brother from his book, “Put Sey,” which is Salish for “Good Enough.”
