World War II Stories: Photo Album - Waldon T. Rich

In Memory of

Waldon T. Rich

A Time Capsule of Memories
of a Loving Father
by his Children: Patricia, Arleen and Dale Rich

Mr. Waldon T. Rich was the U. S. Navy SEABEE
who produced the rock carving on Iwo Jima
which depicts Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph of
the flag raising atop Mt. Suribachi.

At the time that Mr. Rich was rendering
his carving into the sheer rock face
(but a few steps away from his tent),
his talent and inspiration became a matter of intense pride
among his fellow 31st SEABEEs' station on Iwo Jima.

Spanning these many years since
Mr. Rich first carved his tribute into the roughly hewed rock,
the surviving members of the 31st SEABEEs' have expressed great pride
in their unit and in the wonderful talent that Mr. Rich was able to utilize
to memorialize a powerful chapter in American History.

Sadly, Mr. Waldon T. Rich, passed away this past August.
He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and fellow SEABEEs'.

Image of the Waldon T. Rich.
He was living in Long Beach, CA. and was robably taken by his wife in front of their house. Circa 1945

Mr. Waldon T. Rich in an image taken circa 1980. He was an avid lover of the outdoors. The image was taken at a camp ground in Mommouth Mountain where he has a summer camp grounds host.

Los Angeles Times headline announcing : Iwo Jima Invaded; Fierce Battle Rages. Circa 1945

Waldon T. Rich's personal photos taken during his tour on Iwo Jima. Images of the 5th Marine Division cemetary where he helped to make the plaque on the stonebase. Circa 1945.

Waldon T. Rich's uniform insignia, decorations and Navy Seabees' patch

Photo of the Seabee encampment on Iwo Jima. Circa 1945

A different view of the famous Waldon T. Rich rock carving on Iwo Jima. Photo was taken by Waldon T. Rich in July 1945. His tent is directly to the right of the carving. You can also note the horse shoe game peg in lower center of photo. Circa 1945

TIME Magazine story about the Iwo Jima flag raising atop Mt. Suribachi taken by Joe Rosenthal. This is the image that inspired the rock carving that Mr. Rich did in honor of the fighting men on Iwo Jima.

Persistence gains recognition for WWII sculptor on Iwo Jima. This image shows Dale Rich's twin sister, Arlene, (deceased) in front row from left, with her co-workers who were working to get recognition for Waldon Rich's carving.

Waldon T. Rich's rock carving as it appeared in a newspaper article. Image is from family photo album and as of yet is unidentified..

A color Polaroid image of Mr. Rich's carving taken in 1980 and sent to Dale Rich. This was when Dale and Patrica discovered that the rock carving still existed and was being looked after by the U. S. Coast Guard. Circa 1980

A yet to be identified set of images taking at the Waldon T. Rich's rock carving on Iwo Jima. The images above are from the Rich's personal family album.

Thanks from the Coast Guard. Newspaper clipping with article about the correspondences between Dale Rich and the Coast Guard Lieutenant on Iwo Jima when he came home on a training mission. Dale's twin sister, Donna, is on the left, Waldon T. Rich second from left, the the Coast Guard Lt along with some of Donna's co-workers. Waldon Rich is holding a color aerial photograph of Iwo Jima given him by the Coast Guard Lt.

Rock Carving by Waldon T. Rich. Image taken during the 2002 tour of Iwo Jima by Ms. Diane Kuebler, whose father had also served on Iwo Jima with the Navy Seabees'.

Rock Carving Dedication Plaque.
This is the plaque that is placed near
Mr. Rich's rock carving. Image was taken during
the 2002 tour of Iwo Jima by Ms. Diane Kuebler.

Rock Carving Dedication Plaque
Inscription reads:
Dedicated to the brave men who lost their liveson this island February 19, 1945.
Carved and dedicated by Mr. Waldon T. Rich.

The information above was compiled from e-mail messages received in March 2003 from Mr. Waldon T. Rich's son and daughter, Patricia and Dale Rich. Some of the above images were also contributed by Ms. Diane Kuebler, the daughter of the late Arthur O. Kuebler who is a member of the 31st Navy SEABEEs' Association and who recently toured Iwo Jima in March of last year.

Additional images, and related links with regards to Mr. Waldon T. Rich's memorial to the brave men who fought and died on Iwo Jima can be viewed at the following web sites:

31st Navy Seabees' AssociationIncludes a section on the recent visit to Iwo Jima in March of last year.

I Remember

Image of Cliff CarvingThis image and the one below are from a Japanese web site and include a dedication marker crediting the rock carving to Mr. Waldon T. Rich.

Image of Cliff Carving (Dedication Marker)Close up view of the dedication marker to Mr. Waldon T. Rich.

Black Pearl VeteransIncludes a few additional images of the rock carving taken over the past years by men stationed on Iwo Jima.

Additional Iwo Jima images: If you would care to take a virtual tour of Iwo Jima -- 20 years after the battle for the island, you may do so by clicking on the following links:

Iwo Jima Photo Album 1965 - 1966

My Year on Iwo: 1965 - 1966

Veterans
Survey Form

September 5, 2002.

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Updated on 4 September 2004...0823:12 CST

IMAGE of ruptured duck

Updated on 21 March 2003...0701:05 CST

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