Leading Marines.com: 23 February 1945 - The Flag Raising on Iwo Jima

23 February 1945 - The Flag Raising on Iwo Jima

Landing on Iwo Jima began on 19 February, 1945. On 23 February, 1945 Joe Rosenthal photographed five U.S. Marines and a Navy Corpsman raising the American Flag on Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima. The photograph became the most famous photo taken during WWII and the most reproduced photo of all time.

Three (Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, Michael Strank) of the six men in the photo were killed later during the battle. John Bradley, Rene Gagnon and Ira Haynes became very well known American's upon their return to the States.

Felix de Weldon was commissioned by the Marine Corps to sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery.

The Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, was present during the invasion of Iwo Jima and witnessed the flag raising. He remarked "the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years."

The Battle for Iwo Jima lasted from 19 February to March 26, 1945. Only 216 of the 22,785 Japanese soldiers defending Iwo Jima were captured. The US suffered
26,038 total casualties (of those 6,821 were Killed in Action).

22 Marines and 5 sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor (13 of them posthumously) for actions on Iwo Jima. (Including Iwo Jima, only 82 Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines during the entire war)