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Today marks the 71st Anniversary of the famous flag raising (both of them-there was actually two flag raisings on Mt. Suribachi) on March 23rd, 1945, in a battle that ultimately cost the Marine Corps (and their Navy Corpsmen like Flag Raiser John Bradley who survived the battle) close to Seven Thousand Dead (6,821 killed in action) and another 2 captured but recovered, and 19,217 wounded. One Battle in just half of the World War we were fighting. We have been fighting the Global War on terror since 9/11 (14 .5 years roughly )and in two separate wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, we have lost 8,330 in both those wars combined for comparison (source icasualties.org) to those who were lost in just over thirty days of fighting on Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945). Something to ponder today. The Battle for Iwo Jima and the fate of the six flag raisers was depicted in the the Book and Movie "Flags of our Fathers" by Jim Bradley (son of Flag Raiser John Bradley) and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also directed "Letters from Iwo Jima," by about the Japanese side of the Battle of Iwo Jima. An excellent description of the Battle can be found on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima
The inside story of the famous Iwo Jima photo
Posted from cnn.com
Marines
Navy
Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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New mystery arises from iconic Iwo Jima image
History buffs' analysis of famous Joe Rosenthal photo from World War II battle at Iwo Jima challenges a long-assumed truth.
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Capt Lance Gallardo
Totally fascinating, Walt. It makes a better 7th War Bond drive if you include a Navy Corpsman in the mix with the Marines. After all the Navy was catching and giving Hell in the Pacific War along with the Marines, as my grandfather could have attested to that while serving in the Pacific War on a Tin Can, Light Cruiser and ending the War in the Battle of Okinawa on the USS Guam (Hvy cruiser). Maybe there were seven flag raisers not six? But it seems clear that John Bradly was misidentified in the Photo. The men pictured in the famous Photo are really after all representative of all who fought on Iwo Jima and the team work that won the Battle. The survivors would have been the first to tell you that. Even if we have gotten the men in the Photo wrong after all of these years it takes nothing away from what was actually done there.
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Capt Lance Gallardo I think it's great that we acknowledge the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, it's a triumphant moment memorialized in the photograph and memorial, but let's not forget the cost of raising the flag, the continued cost of raising the flag and the sacrifices made by those who made it possible.
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