true warrior and leader, who led his men by example. Strank often told his men, "Follow me, and I'll try to bring you all safely home to your mothers." One former Marine who served with Strank stated, "He was the kind of Marine you read about, the kind they make movies about." Former Paramarine Lowell B. Holly, who served in Strank's squad on Iwo Jima and who was with Strank when he died, stated, "He was the best Marine I ever knew." U.S. citizenship In 2008, Gunnery Sergeant Matt Blais, who was a Marine security guard in the American Embassy in Slovakia, discovered that Strank was not a natural-born U.S. citizen. Strank had become a U.S. citizen after his father's naturalization in 1935, but had never received official documentation. GySgt. Blais petitioned the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on Strank's behalf and on July 29, 2008, Strank's youngest sister, Mary Pero, was presented with his certificate of citizenship in a ceremony at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Monuments and memorials Strank's public recognitions include: Sgt. Michael Strank statue: Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia Sgt. Michael Strank - Pennsylvania Historical Marker: Franklin Borough, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Sgt. Michael Strank Marine Corps Reserve Center (NMCRC), Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. This building was opened in 1987 and later decommissioned in 2019. Sergeant Michael Strank Memorial Bridge: crosses Little Conemaugh River on PA 271 in East Conemaugh Michael Strank mini-sculpture (English spelling name and surname): located near school #4 in Uzhhorod, Ukraine (installed on February 16, 2015, the 70th anniversary of liberation of the city at the end of World War II). Stará Ľubovňa, Slovakia Portrayal in film Strank is prominently featured in the 2006 movie Flags of Our Fathers. In the movie, Sgt. Strank is played by Canadian actor Barry Pepper. The movie is based on the 2000 book of the same title. In 2016, Radio and Television of Slovakia filmed a documentary about Sgt. Strank called "Chlapec, ktorý chcel byť prezidentom" ("The boy who wanted to be a president"). It was aired for the first time on May 2, 2017. In 2019, an English version of the documentary "Chlapec, ktorý chcel byť prezidentom" will be premiered in the United States under the title, "The Oath". See also Meliton Kantaria – Soviet flag raiser over the Reichstag in Berlin, 1945 Mikhail Yegorov – Soviet flag raiser over the Reichstag in Berlin, 1945 Notes