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Minneapolis Local Honors War Hero

From The July 2007 Electrical Worker

Apprentice students at the Minneapolis Local 292 training center found out June 6 that there is more to life than learning a trade and doing it well. The local dedicated its training center to longtime member Charles W. “Chuck” Lindberg, the last surviving member of the original U.S. flag-raising at Iwo Jima.

“When you walk into the building, you see a hero’s name up there,” said Local 292 Business Manager Steve Claypatch, who emphasized Lindberg’s selflessness and courage. “Leadership is completely different from textbook content.”

Lindberg, 86, was atop Mount Suribachi during the World War II battle that memorialized Iwo Jima for the image of Marines struggling to hoist the flag. But Lindberg, a 40-year IBEW member, was part of the flag-raising that came four hours earlier, before Joe Rosenthal arrived to capture the iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photo. Lindberg is the last surviving member of that group.

The ceremony to officially rename the center the Charles “Chuck” W. Lindberg JATC 292 Electrical Training Center was attended by local leaders, members and state and local dignitaries. Lindberg and his wife Vi were also on hand for the event, which also featured an F-16 flyover and a color guard presentation.

“I am proud to be a member of the IBEW,” Lindberg said at the ceremony. “In my 40 years as a Minnesota electrician, the IBEW has always been fair and dependable, and we always got the job done right.”