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An Honorable Life

From The August 2007 Electrical Worker

The year was 1945. The place was a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific known as Iwo Jima. What happened atop Mount Suribachi would become a symbol for generations of Americans: soldiers with an American flag staking ground for the cause of freedom in the closing months of a bloody war.

The idea of the “greatest generation,” an ordinary group of Americans pressed into extraordinary service by their love of country and the threat to all that we hold dear was popularized a few years ago by a book of that name by Tom Brokaw.

No one embodied that spirit more than Charles “Chuck” Lindberg. This Minneapolis Local 292 member was one of our own, who like many others, returned from the war to resume the role of an ordinary citizen, working hard at his trade.  A journeyman wireman, Lindberg made a good living with his tools, working on several Twin Cities landmarks and raising a family. After 38 years as a Local 292 member, he died on June 24, weeks after the dedication of the Charles “Chuck” Lindberg JATC Electrical Training Center, which was reported in the last issue of this newspaper.

A Marine corporal who came home with a Silver Star and a Purple Heart, Lindberg spent most of his life unrecognized for his bravery atop that hill on Iwo Jima. But he and several others raised the first flag on the mountain – the one that was seen by and which inspired the Marines and Navy personnel below. The famous photograph that became an iconic American image was taken later. Another book and film, “Flags of Our Fathers,” told the story of Lindberg and his fellow Marines on Iwo Jima.

Lindberg’s life is a testament to the values that matter: family, patriotism, strength in adversity.  He was a living reminder that, no matter how our domestic adversaries seek to marginalize unions, we are part of the very fabric of life in the U.S., Canada and everywhere we have members.  Brother Lindberg was not the only IBEW member to serve his country bravely.  But on one historic day in 1945, he did an extraordinary deed and became part of U.S. history, and for that he will always have our affection and gratitude.