RAISING THE FLAG ON IWO JIMA
February 23rd, 2010 | 3:13 pm
"Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" photographed by Joe Rosenthal. (Photo Courtesy of The Associated Press)
Today marks the 65th anniversary of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. The photograph depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. It is the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as publication and is possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.
The image represents the United States Marine Corps hoisting the flag on Mount Suribachi, the highest point on Iwo Jima island which was the first Japanese homeland soil to be captured. There were two flags raised at this point, but the first one was replaced because the flag was too small, 54 x 28 inches, and it was hard to see from the beach below. The second flag measured 96 x 56 inches thus making it more visible from the beaches and this time, it was able to be filmed and photographed properly. The photographer, Joe Rosenthal, almost missed taking the photograph because he was trying to get a better vantage point. He later remarked:
“Out of the corner of my eye, I had seen the men start the flag up. I swung my camera and shot the scene. That is how the picture was taken, and when you take a picture like that, you don’t come away saying you got a great shot. You don’t know.” [1]
A diagram of the photo indicating the six men who raised the flag: Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley (†), Michael Strank (†), John Bradley, Rene Gagnon and Harlon Block (†). (†) = Killed on Iwo Jima. (Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)
When President Roosevelt saw the image, he immediately ordered the surviving marines back to the United States to help in the war bond drive. The power of this image was the symbol for the 7th war bond that raised $26.3 billion, twice the tour’s goal and help seal the victory of World War II for the Allies.
Few images have captured the imagination as the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.
[1] Bradley, James. Flags of Our Fathers, p. 209–211.
