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MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.- It was seventy one years ago when Joe Rosenthal, a 33-year old Associated Press photographer, hurried up Mount Suribachi on the Japanese Island of Iwo Jima after hearing about an American flag being raised on the volcano at the southern tip of the island.
The war correspondent who followed the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the Second World War had no idea how inspiring or iconic that photograph would become … he simply snapped the actions of five Marines and one Navy corpsman raising a larger American flag, not far from where a smaller one was being lowered.
Upon reaching the summit, Rosenthal briefly contemplated trying to capture both flags, but decided against it and focused his attention on the second raising instead.
In a 2005 interview with USA Today, Rosenthal said, “I had just a minute or two to make a decision as to whether to get both flags in transition, or just one. I opted for the flag that was going to be in motion.”
Rosenthal had no idea how his photo turned out until two days later when he received a message at the command ship from AP’s New York office, congratulating him on a fine flag-raising picture. The photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ was immediately wired around the world and appeared on the front page of newspapers across the country.
Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Prize for his photo depicting Marine Sgt. Michael Strank, Marine Cpls. Harlon Block, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Navy Pharmacist’s Mate John Bradley, and Marine Pfc. Franklin Sousley, raising the second American flag.
Some say Rosenthal’s powerful photo signaled hope for the U.S., peace was near, and the war would soon come to an end. Others have said the photo helped win World War II.
Here’s what’s indisputable: more than 25,000 Marines and Sailors lost their lives securing the island of Iwo Jima, and the photo taken 71 years ago exemplified the courage, fortitude, and sacrifice of these men.
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2016 07:06 |
| Story ID: | 189749 |
| Location: | MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 208 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Raising the flag 71 years ago: Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, by Reina Vasquez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
