Editing Michael Strank (section)

== U.S. citizenship ==
[[File:USMC-080729-M-8136F-003.jpg|thumb|Mary Pero, 75, was presented with her late brother's certificate of citizenship on July 29, 2008, at the Marine Corps War Memorial.]]
In 2008, Gunnery Sergeant Matt Blais, who was a Marine security guard in the American Embassy in Slovakia, discovered that Strank was not a natural-born U.S. citizen.  Strank had become a U.S. citizen after his father's naturalization in 1935, but had never received official documentation.<ref name=MCNews_Carfrey_20080730>{{cite web|url=http://www.marines.mil/units/hqmc/Pages/IwoJimaflagraiserposthumouslyreceivescitizenshipcertificate.aspx|title=Iwo Jima flag raiser posthumously receives citizenship certificate|first=Bryan G.|last=Carfrey|work=Official U.S. Marine Corps Web Site|date=July 30, 2008|accessdate=November 1, 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813092941/http://www.marines.mil/units/hqmc/Pages/IwoJimaflagraiserposthumouslyreceivescitizenshipcertificate.aspx|archive-date=August 13, 2008}}</ref>
GySgt. Blais petitioned the [[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]] on Strank's behalf and on July 29, 2008, Strank's youngest sister, Mary Pero, was presented with his certificate of citizenship in a ceremony at the [[Marine Corps War Memorial]].<ref name="MCNews_Carfrey_20080730"/><ref name=MCT_Bush_20080730>{{cite web|last=Bush|first=Joe|title=Citizenship granted to Iwo Jima flag raiser|work=Marine Corps Times|date=July 30, 2008|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/07/marine_iwojimacitizenship_072908w/|accessdate=July 31, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210045310/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/07/marine_iwojimacitizenship_072908w/|archive-date=February 10, 2009|df=mdy}}</ref>