During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest peak and most strategic position, and raise the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them and recorded the event. Americans fighting for control of Suribachi’s slopes cheered the raising of the flag, and several hours later more Marines headed up to the crest with a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, a photographer with the Associated Press, met them along the way and recorded the raising of the second flag along with a Marine still photographer and a motion-picture cameraman.
Rosenthal took three photographs atop Suribachi. The first, which showed five Marines and one Navy corpsman struggling to hoist the heavy flag pole, became the most reproduced photograph in history and won him a Pulitzer Prize. The accompanying motion-picture footage attests to the fact that the picture was not posed. Of the other two photos, the second was similar to the first but less affecting, and the third was a group picture of 18 Marines smiling and waving for the camera. Many of these men, including three of the six Marines seen raising the flag in the famous Rosenthal photo, were killed before the conclusion of the Battle for Iwo Jima in late March.
In early 1945, U.S. military command sought to gain control of the island of Iwo Jima in advance of the projected aerial campaign against the Japanese home islands. Iwo Jima, a tiny volcanic island located in the Pacific about 700 miles southeast of Japan, was to be a base for fighter aircraft and an emergency-landing site for bombers. On February 19, 1945, after three days of heavy naval and aerial bombardment, the first wave of U.S. Marines stormed onto Iwo Jima’s inhospitable shores.
The Japanese garrison on the island numbered 22,000 heavily entrenched men. Their commander, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, had been expecting an Allied invasion for months and used the time wisely to construct an intricate and deadly system of underground tunnels, fortifications, and artillery that withstood the initial Allied bombardment. By the evening of the first day, despite incessant mortar fire, 30,000 U.S. Marines commanded by General Holland Smith managed to establish a solid beachhead.
During the next few days, the Marines advanced inch by inch under heavy fire from Japanese artillery and suffered suicidal charges from the Japanese infantry. Many of the Japanese defenders were never seen and remained underground manning artillery until they were blown apart by a grenade or rocket, or incinerated by a flame thrower.
While Japanese kamikaze flyers slammed into the Allied naval fleet around Iwo Jima, the Marines on the island continued their bloody advance across the island, responding to Kuribayashi’s lethal defenses with remarkable endurance. On February 23, the crest of 550-foot Mount Suribachi was taken, and the next day the slopes of the extinct volcano were secured.
By March 3, U.S. forces controlled all three airfields on the island, and on March 26 the last Japanese defenders on Iwo Jima were wiped out. Only 200 of the original 22,000 Japanese defenders were captured alive. More than 6,000 Americans died taking Iwo Jima, and some 17,000 were wounded.
My Father was there with the 5th Marine Division Pioneers. He was in the 5th wave to hit the beach, came through without being wounded. The first one of 3 – Generations of UNITED STATES MARINES from 1942-2000. OOH-RAA ????
My wife’s dad was a young Marine captain and led a flame-thrower group on Iwo Jima, the tanks of petroleum weighed 90 lbs and the men were largely rural southern boys who couldn’t read or write but they were strong. Half his men were killed.
A friend of my Dads was on Iwo with 26th Marines. His daughter took him to a 26th Marine reunion when he was 90. At that time the reunion was filled with mostly Vietnam Vets. She told my Dad that all the Marines there treated the few Iwo Vets like royalty. They had such a great time! It left her with a great memory. On their behalf, Thank all of you (26th Marines ) for the memory. SEMPER FI! Harry
SIX Marines, Grit. Update your information on the flag raising. You should have known that a long time ago.
Bernie Marvin
USMC
See my comment to Sgt. Bob Tompkins, below.
The county seat city of Crawford County, Ohio, Bucyrus was the home town of Harry Martin, Medal of Honor winner. He was killed on Iwo Jima. I lived about 15 miles from in a small village, New Washington.
Medal of Honor RECIPENT (he didn’t win it, he earned it)
Or was awarded! It cranks me a little to see the word won like it was a trophy or a prize in a Bingo game
I spent 21 yrs in the MARINE CORPS And met MARINES MY FATHER AND HIS BROTHERS WERE ALSO MARINES I’VE HERD ALOT OF Stories About the Battles of the PACIFIC CAMPAIGNS BUTT THE ONE THAT REALLY HIT ME WAS THAT OF MY BEST FRIENDS DAD AND ALSO MY FATHER’S BEST FRIEND AND FELLOW MARINE WHO WAS A FLAMTHROWER OPERATOR WHO LOST HIS RIGHT LEG, ON THE TWENTY SECOND DAY OF THAT BLOODY BATTLE THEY ONLY TALK ABOUT THE FIGHTING WHEN THE GOT TOGETHER AND HAD MORE BOOZE THEY SHOULD HAVE. JIM AND I COULD HERE THEM TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC BATTLES OF THOSE THIRTY SEVEN DAY OF THAT BATTLE. I WAS PART OF A CEREMONY TO HONER THE FALLEN TWICE IN MY TIME AS A MARINE AND I HAVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED IT TO BE A GREAT HONER TO HAVE BEEN APART OF THOSE CEREMONYS I FELT THAT I COULD SEE THE FIGHTING AND CARNAGE THAT SO MANY MARINES / SAILORS HAD SEEN R.I.P.
My father was a 22 year old Radarman on the USS Washington (BB-56) who participated in and wrote of the progression of the battle and watching the Marines raise the flag on Mount Suribachi. They were all heroes.
God bless those heros semper Fi marines
Semper Fi Brothers!!!
Semper Fi Brothers!!!
Glad someone pointed out that it was SIX Marines and no Navy Corpsman that raise the flag on Suribachi. The research and proof came to light a couple of years ago.
Yes! And now that research and proof has been updated to make TWO changes to the original six!
I agree!!
Every year there is a tremendous gathering of Marines and a parade with members of the VFW,American Legion,ROTC,High School bands motorcycle riders and many other military related organizations from states as far away as Iowa honoring this event.
It is held in Sacaton, Arizona, home of Ira Hayes. The parade was held yesterday but put this on your calendar for next year.
The American Legion Post in Sacaton does a great job organizing this event and are the greatest host.
Vince Territo
USMC 64 -67
Semper Fi
Ira Hayes Post 84 is preparing for the 75th Annual Iwo Jima Flag Raising Event which is scheduled for Saturday, February 22nd, 2020. For additional information at this time please contact Post 84 at:
Tel: 520-562-8484 or via e-mail at ihpost84@gilanet.net
As a son of a Marine who was inspired by ww2 Marine’s and had them lead him in Korea. He was the old veteran in Vietnam and did the same for those kids. All of those who have earned the title of Marine are heroes
THANK GOD FOR THE GREATEST GENERATION !!! OR WE ALL BE SPEAKING GERMAN & JAPANESE !!! SEMPER FI.
And so the corp goes on.
I had the privilege of landing on Iwo jima in 1982
Flying off the deck of the USS Peleliu we were on a mail run waiting for a C130 flying from Japan. Waiting for an hour. Dead silence. Echoes of battle all around me. Chicken skin to this day.
I read somewhere that the Japanese had made Iwo a part of the Japanese mainland to further motivate the Jap troops.
As always in the Pacific, it was all about getting air fields.
Bill McDermott
1806632
M 1 # 2428103
My Father, after bring on Saipan, Tinian, then was on Iwo Jima w/ V Amphibious Corps. Growing up, I could’nt get him to talk much. He then went on to the Korean war & Vietnam in his 30 yrs,1942-1972. He retired as an E-9 Mgy/sgt
My dad Cpl G W Hornsey Jr was with Foxtrot 2/27 5th Div on Feb 19, 1945. My grandfather Navy LtCdr D M Roberts MD was a surgeon on a hospital ship off shore during the battle. My mom and dad were engaged at the time. My wife and I will be leaving on March 23rd with Military Historical Tours and the Iwo Jima Association to go to Guam and a day at Iwo Jima. I have chills just thinking about it. I served 24 years later and ended up as an 0311 radio operator with Mike 3/1 CUPP in Vietnam all of 1970.
Semper Fi all my brothers.
My Dad served with the 4th MarDiv;4th Mar Reg;3rd Tank Battalion with the 23rd MARINES;Tank Crewman/Gunner–South Pacific Island Hop; Saipan-Tinian-Tarawa-Iwi Jima-Okinawa
Cpl A M Dinwiddie(11-11-1925/01-11-2016) My Brother served 3 tours VN with 1/9-’65-’69–with 3 purple hearts(03-26-47/-01-02-’16(Cpl Chas Dinwiddie)–I served ’69-’73 with 1st MAW-HMH 462-MAG36//R M Dinwiddie–USMC–Semper Fi –To ALL Brothers and Sisters that have served and to those who are serving now and to those who will always carry it forward. SEMPER FI
I would love to share a photo of mount seribachi. The best I’ve ever seen. I took it from a CH 53 in 1982. As they say a picture says a thousand words. But I don’t know how to post it here. Semper FI.
I had the honor of serving with senior Marines, some of whom fought on Iwo Jima, in 1959. They would invite me to some of their gab sessions, even though I was a Japanese American Marine, they treated me as a Marine. Some of what they talked about will never be written in books, because of what they saw and did. They are gone now and I am 79 years old, and will take what I heard with me. God Bless all of those Marines, Navy, etc., that fought on Iwo. Semper Fi to all past, present and future Marines.