Individual Details
Leonard Smith Isacks , Jr.
(14 Jan 1911 - 21 Feb 1945)
Less than three months before he gave his life on Iwo Jima, 1st Lt. Leonard Smith Isacks, Jr. charged his sons Bryan (8) and Leonard (5) to be courageous in this letter, dated December 17, 1944:
[A]bove all, my boys have courage, have courage to do the things that you know are right. Never be afraid to fight for what you think is right. To do those things you need a strong body and a brave heart; never run away from someone you may be afraid of; if you do, you will feel ashamed of yourself, and before long you will find it easy to run away from the things that you should stand up and fight against.
During our interview with the grandsons of Iwo casualty 1st Lt. Leonard Smith Isacks — Leonard Scott Isacks, Jr. (41) and Fletcher Bryan Isacks (38) — I was bolled over by how they, along with their father and uncle, had embraced the call to courage written out to them by the fallen patriarch of their family.
In writing to his sons, 1st Lt. Leonard Smith Isacks followed the faithful example of another great patriarch of old: the Prophet Moses. Following their victory over the Amalekites, Moses, at the Lord’s command, wrote the story of God’s faithfulness down in a book and rehearsed it in the ears of Joshua, his son in the faith (Exodus 17:14).
Later, on two separate occasions, Moses would charge Joshua to “be strong and of a good courage” (Deuteronomy 31:6-7; 23). This admonition would be recorded in Moses’ closing written work, the book of Deuteronomy, and the Lord would later urge Joshua to follow the written commands given to him by his spiritual father:
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:7)
Joshua had the boldness to conquer because his spiritual father took the time to encourage him through written words. The Isacks brothers and others sons of Iwo have become strong men because their fathers wrote to them, even as they were on the cusp of one of the most epic conflicts in the history of recorded warfare.
While the Battle for Iwo Jima has many lessons to teach us, one that must not be missed is this: verbal communication is important, but fathers must do more than talk. They must memorialize in writing directions to their sons. Fathers must pick up their pens and call their boys to courage and faithfulness. Just as God charged the prophet Habakkuk, fathers ought to “write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Habakkuk 2:2).
In light of the faithful patriarch-warriors of Iwo Jima, I purpose to write to my sons and charge them to be mighty men before the Lord. In keeping with this goal, I have written this poem to the boys I pray God sees fit to grant me, which I hereby dedicate to the memory of the fallen fathers of Iwo who wrote to their sons:
Courage, My Son
Courage, my son,
Be stout of heart for the battle that lies ahead.
Have pluck, my son, to play the part:
Give not your heart to dread.
Courage, my son,
Be strong of arm when another sword meets yours.
With wit, my son, fend off this harm
With a blow of force that’s sure.
Courage, my son,
Be firm of mind, and fear not men who mock.
Refute in kind the words of those
Who spurn the One True God.
Courage, my son,
Be kind of soul, and rescue those who fall.
Give hope, my son, to those in need —
Stand fast, and give your all.
Joshua 1:9 / 1 Chronicles 19:13
Like "Johnny Boy" Butler, Leonard and Fletcher Isacks carried with them cases of documents that reveal the Christian faith, manly leadership and fatherly devotion of their ancestor. In 1943, their grandfather, Leonard Smith Isacks, Jr.—then father to three children—joined the Marines Corps.
On Feb. 19, 1945, 1st Lt. Isacks arrived at Iwo Jima as an operations officer for the 5th Motor Transport Battalion, 5th Marine Division. The next day, Isacks was mortally wounded in a foxhole. The following day, he died aboard the hospital ship S.S. Samaritan and was buried at sea.
Incredibly, during his 23 months of service in the Marine Corps leading up to his death, Leonard and his wife, Sue, wrote more than 1,200 pages of letters to each other, each of which has been preserved.
Here's one of the last this faithful father would send to his boys:
December 17, 1944
My Dear Little Boys:
I won't be able to give you a Christmas present personally this year, but I do want you to know that I think of you all of the time and feel very proud of the way you have been helping your Mother while I am gone. I know that it is natural for young, healthy and strong boys like you are to want to play and have fun all of the time; but I do want you to think about helping Mummie, because it is so hard for her to do everything while I am gone.
I know that you would like to give me an X-mas present too, so I will tell you what you can do, and this will be your X-mas present to me. Every day ask Mummie if there are any errands that you can go on for her, and when there are errands to run for her say "sure Mummie" and give her a big smile; then during the day go up to your room and look around, if there are toys scattered all around, or you left some of your clothes on the floor; pick them up; also, when Mummie is busy trying to clean up the house, don't leave her by herself, but ask Mummie if you can help take care of baby sister. If you will do these things for me, that will be the finest X-mas present that you could give me. Oh, yes, and CC, are you eating your meals like a real man now?
Well, my boys, I guess you often wonder why people fight and have wars, and why lots of daddies have to be away at X-mas time fighting, when it would be much nicer to be at home. That's a hard question to answer. But, you see, some countries like Japan and Germany, have people living in them, just like some people you and I know. Those people want to tell everyone what they can do and what they can't do. No one likes to be told how to live their life. I know that you certainly wouldn't like it if one of the boys in the neighborhood tried to tell you what church you should go to, what school you should go to and particularly if that boy was always trying to "beat up" some smaller and weaker boy. You wouldn't like it, would you? And, unfortunately the only way to make a person stop these sorts of things, or a country like Japan or Germany, is to fight them and beat them... and teach them that being a bully (because after all that's what they are) is not the way to live and that we won't put up with it. What does all of this mean to you? Just simply this, my boys, Dad doesn't want you to ever be a bully, I want you to always fight against anyone who tries to be one; I want you to always help the smaller fellow, or the little boy who may not be as strong as you; I want you to always share what you have with the other fellow.... If you and lots of other boys try to do things that Dad has been talking about in this letter, it may be that people will not have to fight wars in the years to come and then all of the Daddies of the world will be home for Christmas, and that is where they belong …"
God Bless you, Daddy
[A]bove all, my boys have courage, have courage to do the things that you know are right. Never be afraid to fight for what you think is right. To do those things you need a strong body and a brave heart; never run away from someone you may be afraid of; if you do, you will feel ashamed of yourself, and before long you will find it easy to run away from the things that you should stand up and fight against.
During our interview with the grandsons of Iwo casualty 1st Lt. Leonard Smith Isacks — Leonard Scott Isacks, Jr. (41) and Fletcher Bryan Isacks (38) — I was bolled over by how they, along with their father and uncle, had embraced the call to courage written out to them by the fallen patriarch of their family.
In writing to his sons, 1st Lt. Leonard Smith Isacks followed the faithful example of another great patriarch of old: the Prophet Moses. Following their victory over the Amalekites, Moses, at the Lord’s command, wrote the story of God’s faithfulness down in a book and rehearsed it in the ears of Joshua, his son in the faith (Exodus 17:14).
Later, on two separate occasions, Moses would charge Joshua to “be strong and of a good courage” (Deuteronomy 31:6-7; 23). This admonition would be recorded in Moses’ closing written work, the book of Deuteronomy, and the Lord would later urge Joshua to follow the written commands given to him by his spiritual father:
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:7)
Joshua had the boldness to conquer because his spiritual father took the time to encourage him through written words. The Isacks brothers and others sons of Iwo have become strong men because their fathers wrote to them, even as they were on the cusp of one of the most epic conflicts in the history of recorded warfare.
While the Battle for Iwo Jima has many lessons to teach us, one that must not be missed is this: verbal communication is important, but fathers must do more than talk. They must memorialize in writing directions to their sons. Fathers must pick up their pens and call their boys to courage and faithfulness. Just as God charged the prophet Habakkuk, fathers ought to “write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Habakkuk 2:2).
In light of the faithful patriarch-warriors of Iwo Jima, I purpose to write to my sons and charge them to be mighty men before the Lord. In keeping with this goal, I have written this poem to the boys I pray God sees fit to grant me, which I hereby dedicate to the memory of the fallen fathers of Iwo who wrote to their sons:
Courage, My Son
Courage, my son,
Be stout of heart for the battle that lies ahead.
Have pluck, my son, to play the part:
Give not your heart to dread.
Courage, my son,
Be strong of arm when another sword meets yours.
With wit, my son, fend off this harm
With a blow of force that’s sure.
Courage, my son,
Be firm of mind, and fear not men who mock.
Refute in kind the words of those
Who spurn the One True God.
Courage, my son,
Be kind of soul, and rescue those who fall.
Give hope, my son, to those in need —
Stand fast, and give your all.
Joshua 1:9 / 1 Chronicles 19:13
Like "Johnny Boy" Butler, Leonard and Fletcher Isacks carried with them cases of documents that reveal the Christian faith, manly leadership and fatherly devotion of their ancestor. In 1943, their grandfather, Leonard Smith Isacks, Jr.—then father to three children—joined the Marines Corps.
On Feb. 19, 1945, 1st Lt. Isacks arrived at Iwo Jima as an operations officer for the 5th Motor Transport Battalion, 5th Marine Division. The next day, Isacks was mortally wounded in a foxhole. The following day, he died aboard the hospital ship S.S. Samaritan and was buried at sea.
Incredibly, during his 23 months of service in the Marine Corps leading up to his death, Leonard and his wife, Sue, wrote more than 1,200 pages of letters to each other, each of which has been preserved.
Here's one of the last this faithful father would send to his boys:
December 17, 1944
My Dear Little Boys:
I won't be able to give you a Christmas present personally this year, but I do want you to know that I think of you all of the time and feel very proud of the way you have been helping your Mother while I am gone. I know that it is natural for young, healthy and strong boys like you are to want to play and have fun all of the time; but I do want you to think about helping Mummie, because it is so hard for her to do everything while I am gone.
I know that you would like to give me an X-mas present too, so I will tell you what you can do, and this will be your X-mas present to me. Every day ask Mummie if there are any errands that you can go on for her, and when there are errands to run for her say "sure Mummie" and give her a big smile; then during the day go up to your room and look around, if there are toys scattered all around, or you left some of your clothes on the floor; pick them up; also, when Mummie is busy trying to clean up the house, don't leave her by herself, but ask Mummie if you can help take care of baby sister. If you will do these things for me, that will be the finest X-mas present that you could give me. Oh, yes, and CC, are you eating your meals like a real man now?
Well, my boys, I guess you often wonder why people fight and have wars, and why lots of daddies have to be away at X-mas time fighting, when it would be much nicer to be at home. That's a hard question to answer. But, you see, some countries like Japan and Germany, have people living in them, just like some people you and I know. Those people want to tell everyone what they can do and what they can't do. No one likes to be told how to live their life. I know that you certainly wouldn't like it if one of the boys in the neighborhood tried to tell you what church you should go to, what school you should go to and particularly if that boy was always trying to "beat up" some smaller and weaker boy. You wouldn't like it, would you? And, unfortunately the only way to make a person stop these sorts of things, or a country like Japan or Germany, is to fight them and beat them... and teach them that being a bully (because after all that's what they are) is not the way to live and that we won't put up with it. What does all of this mean to you? Just simply this, my boys, Dad doesn't want you to ever be a bully, I want you to always fight against anyone who tries to be one; I want you to always help the smaller fellow, or the little boy who may not be as strong as you; I want you to always share what you have with the other fellow.... If you and lots of other boys try to do things that Dad has been talking about in this letter, it may be that people will not have to fight wars in the years to come and then all of the Daddies of the world will be home for Christmas, and that is where they belong …"
God Bless you, Daddy
Events
| Birth | 14 Jan 1911 | ||||
| Death | 21 Feb 1945 | Killed at Iow Jima |
Families
| Spouse | Susan Camp Bryan (1914 - 1995) |
| Child | Bryan Leonard Isacks |
| Child | Leonard Scott Isacks (1939 - 2001) |
| Child | Susan Camp Isacks |