This historic photo was taken in February 23,1945 by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a United States Navy corpsman raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. It is the only photo to ever win a Pulitzer Prize for Photography.
Three Marines depicted in the photograph, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, and Michael Strank, were killed in action over the next few days. The three surviving flag-raisers were Marines Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes, and sailor John Bradley, who became celebrities after their identifications in the photograph.
If you are interested in learning more about the men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima you can check out the New York Times best selling book called Flag of Our Fathers HERE. You can learn more by seeing the 2006 film version of the book directed by Steven Spielberg. You can also read more about these brave soldiers in a article HERE.
This is one of those profoundly powerful images that never fails to send a shiver up my spine and stir a deep reverence in my heart. Thank you for shining the spotlight on this week, dear Daffny - it is especially fitting given that Remembrance Day is a week away.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica