Ignatowski failed the physical examination when he first tried to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1943. However, he tried again, taking a friend's urine sample with him and this time passed the physical. In 1944, after "boot" camp training, he was assigned to 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division. He became a close friend with one of his platoon's Navy corpsmen, John "Doc" Bradley, who was with Ignatowski on the battlefield just before he was captured on Iwo Jima. For more than 70 years, Bradley was considered to be one of the six persons who raised the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi in Joe Rosenthal's photo Raising the flag on Iwo Jima when he was not ; he was involved with helping to secure both the flag's flagstaffs put up on windy Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945.
Military records
Service record: Private Ignatowski was aboard the USS Missoula at sea on February 5, 1945, and arrived at Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands on February 7. Ignatowski was at sea again from February 8 to 10, and disembarked at Saipan, Marianas Islands, on February 11. Ignatowski boarded USS LST-481 and sailed to Iwo Jima from February 11 to 18. Ignatowski, E Company, 28th Marines, arrived at Iwo Jima on February 19. Ignatowski was wounded by shrapnel in the jaw on February 20, 1945, and returned to duty the same day. 28th Marine Regiment record: On March 4, 1945, Ignatowski was seen captured and taken into a cave by Japanese soldiers and about 2 hours later, the deceased body of Second Lieutenant Leonard Sokol was taken away at same location by Japanese soldiers. On March 7, 1945, both their bodies were found. The following entries from the 28th Marine Regiment records describe the timeline of their deaths:
Mar 4, 1845 hrs – Fr LT228 – One P.F.C. from Easy Co, name unknown, believed captured by Japs in vicinity of Hill 215.
Mar 4, 2030 hrs – Fr LT228 – Lt. Sokol was killed at 1330 at 233 X and body taken by Nips – No maps or shackle codes known to be on his person according to Capt Severance.
Mar 4, 2100 hrs – Fr LT 228 – All quiet – Easy Co. reports Japs were definitely seen grabbing man into cave near where Lt. Sokol's body disappeared.
Mar 7, 1900 hrs – Fr. LT228 – Body of captured PFC from "E" Co had apparently been searched and tortured – arm broken, body beaten. Location 450 yds north of tip of Hill 362. Forward and left of E Co's present CP – Lt. Sokol's body nearby mutilated by one of our own flame throwers.
Mar 7, 1940 hrs – Fr D2 – Corps requests written statements from men in "E" Co who saw Ignatowski captured.
Mar 8, 0855 hrs – Fr 5th Div. Red Cross – Request details on capture of PFC Ignatowsky "E" Co. Call Mr. Thomas c/o Columbus #1
Mar 8, 1010 hrs – Fr LT228 – Ignatowski body evacuated with Lt. Sokol's. En route, via Regt.
Mar 8, 1150 hrs – To D2 – Requested Regimental ARC representative and Regimental Surgeon examine body of P.F.C. Ignatowski and prepare affidavits.
Mar 9, 1154 hrs – Fr D2 – Requests detail re Ignatowski and statements: a. Circumstances of capture b. Events intervening between capture and recovery. c. Circumstances of recovery of body.
Death
Although the exact circumstances are uncertain, Ignatowski was taken prisoner by Japanese troops, tortured, killed, and then mutilated. Ignatowski's death is referenced in several books:
In his book Semper Chai!: Marines of Blue and White about Jews in the U.S. Marine Corps, author Howard J. Leavitt collected eyewitness reports regarding the actual circumstances of Ignatowski and Sokol's deaths, including a letter to the surviving members of the family of Lieutenant Sokol by fellow Marine James Buchanan:
Ignatowski's death is also mentioned in the book Flags of Our Fathers, coauthored by the son of first flag raiser John Bradley. The following are his recollections of Ignatowski's death:
Other eyewitness reports further indicated that Ignatowski had been tortured in the cave by the Japanese for three days, during which time they also cut out his eyes, cut off his ears, smashed in his teeth and skull. He had several wounds to his stomach, which had been repeatedly stabbed with a bayonet. As a final insult, his genitalia had been severed and stuffed into his mouth.
Burial
Ignatowski's remains were initially interred with military honors in Grave 1201, Row 11, Plot 5, 5th Marine Division Cemetery, Iwo Jima. In 1949, his body was exhumed and reinterred at the Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois.
Military awards
Pvt. Ignatowski is entitled to the following military awards:
Legacy
The AMVETS Ralph A. Ignatowski Memorial Post 60, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was officially dedicated on June 3, 1956.
Ralph Ignatowski, portrayed by English actor Jamie Bell, appears in the 2006 movie Flags of Our Fathers, directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood. The movie, taken from the book of the same title, includes opening scenes of Ignatowski on the ship going to Iwo Jima, scenes on Iwo Jima, and scenes of "Doc" Bradley's battlefield search for his Marine buddy "Iggy" who seems to have disappeared. In the movie, Pfc. Ignatowski's corpse is found, but its condition is only alluded to. The movie viewer never sees his body. Bradley constantly asks during the film, "Where is he?", as he flashbacks searching for "Iggy" on the battlefield.
"Iggy" is also presumed to be seen in the film, Letters from Iwo Jima, given that in one scene, a captured marine is seen being beaten and bayoneted to death by Japanese soldiers. Furthermore, the said film is a companion piece to Flags of our Fathers, which were both filmed back to back.
