Feb. 23, 1962 - Six marines this morning staged a Times Square reenactment of the flag-raising scene on Iwo Jima 17 years ago during World War II. Present at the ceremony outside the recruiting booth in Times Square was one of two survivors of the flag-raising group, Rene A. Gagnon of Hooksett, N.H. Mr. Gagnon, a former Marine Corps corporal, was welcomed to the city by Mayor Wagner, who renamed the area “Iwo Jima Square” for three days. Mr. Gagnon said he had been in a rut as a factory worker when he joined the marines in 1943. He said his wartime experiences led him to aspire to something better. After the war, he and his wife went to the West Coast, the Northwest, and the Southwest, seeking something better than factory work. Six years ago, he became an agent of Northeast Airlines at Grenier Field outside Manchester, N.H.
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