Iconic Image 2

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This month's iconic image is...

Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima (Part 2)

Intro:

This image was taken by photographer Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. It depicts six American marines raising the Stars and Stripes over Mount Surabachi. This image would ultimately become the most famous photo ever taken of American servicemen during World War II. It would come to symbolize the American war experience in the final months of the War in the Pacific and turn the American marines of Iwo Jima into legends.

Part I

At this point in the battle, Mount Surabachi had finally been captured. A small American flag had already been raised by a group of marines and navy corpsman who bravely ascended the mountain and killed the remaining Japanese defenders. For four hours, the small Stars and Stripes flew over the mountain, inspiring the thousands of American servicemen on the ground, in the air, and on the water. Unfortunately, not all of those on Iwo Jima could see the flag. It was too small to be seen by the marines on the Northern side of the mountain (where severe fighting was still occurring).

After realizing this, Colonel Chandler Johnson ordered the small Stars and Stripes to be replaced by a larger flag. Pfc. Rene Gagnon carried the new American flag up the side of Mount Surabachi and handed it to Sgt. Michael Strank. With five other marines, Sergeant Strank lowered the first flag, attached the new one to the pipe, and raised it on Mount Surabachi. It was at this moment that the most image of World War II in the Pacific was captured by photographer, Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. 

Part II

A total of six men are depicted in the image. For a long time, the press struggled to discover their identities. As of 2019, all six men have been identified. They are (left to right): Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Harold Schultz, Sgt. Michael Strank, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, Pfc. Harold Keller, and Cpl. Harlon Block. Almost immediately after raising this flag, they left the mountain and resumed the fight for Iwo Jima. On March 1, Sergeant Strank and Corporal Block were KIA. Twenty days later, Private first class Sousley was fatally wounded by a Japanese sniper.

The day after the flag raising, Rosenthal boarded a plane and flew to the island of Guam. Once there, it was printed. The pictures were then given to photo editor John Bodkin (also of the Associated Press). Bodkin took one look at the image and immediately realized it's value. It showed strength and courage during one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. It was the spitting image of American victory. The American public immediately became entranced by the image, which ultimately became the most iconic photograph of American servicemen in World War II.

Part III

Among those to view the photograph was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was so impressed by the image that he immediately ordered the six servicemen to be brought home. However, when it was revealed that three of the men had already been KIA, the rush to identify the three survivors highly intensified. Unlike the previous flag-raising image (from Sgt. Lowery) the faces of the six servicemen in Rosenthal's image could not be viewed to easily. And in the hurry to rush the three surviving heroes home, mistaken identities were made.

The three surviving servicemen were identified as Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Rene Gagnon, and PhM2c. John Bradley (of the US Navy). Bradley had been severely wounded while treating the wounds of a wounded marine (he would receive the Navy Cross for his valor) and needed to use crutches. All three were then taken on war bound tours across the country, made to reenact the famous flag-raising, and called heroes by the public. 

However, the three servicemen were continually experiencing severe PTSD during the bonding tours. Although they were successful in raising more than 26 billion dollars for the war effort, all three heartily disliked the spotlight and hated being singled out as heroes. Once the war was over, they found it very difficult to live with the fame that had been thrust upon them.

Epilogue

In the seventy five years since the image was taken new evidence was unearthed that revealed the real identities of two of the servicemen in the flag-raising. In 2017, it was revealed that while John Bradley had taken part in the first flag-raising, he was not present in the more famous Rosenthal image. Two years later, it was found that Rene Gagnon (who had brought the replacement flag up the mountain) was not in the photo either. The two men actually were, Pfc. Harold Keller and Cpl. Harold Schultz. Neither Keller nor Schultz wished to be recognized and died in anonymity. 

Today, a memorial now stands in Arlington National Cemetery that depicts the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. It lists all six marines who took part (all six have since passed away). Two of them (Strank and Hayes) are buried not far from the monument in Arlington (Gagnon is also buried there). Despite the identification mishaps surrounding it, Joe Rosenthal's photograph remains the most memorable image ever taken of American servicemen during the World War II. To this day, it continues to symbolize their struggle, their valor, their brotherhood, and finally their victory.

http://100photos.time.com/photos/joe-rosenthal-iwo-jima-flag-raising

https://www.livescience.com/iwo-jima-flag-raising.html

https://www.pulitzer.org/article/joe-rosenthal-and-flag-raising-iwo-jima

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/75th-anniversary-iconic-photo-iwo-jima-flag-raising/story?id=69133758

http://www.manythings.org/voa/usa/475.html