In honor of Flag Day, June 14th:
An Infamous Flag and an Infamous Photo
An 8-square mile island in the South Pacific, Iwo Jima was to become the most deadly spot on earth. Some 70,000 Americans and 21,000 Japanese troops battled for control of the island. For 36 days, fierce fighting would claim the lives of 20 of every 21 Japanese; and 1 of every 3 Americans would be injured or killed.
Mount Suribachi, the 556 foot high fortress, became the key to victory. After four days of bloody fighting, the Marines reached the summit and planted an American flag. It was replaced by a larger one ‘that could be seen by every Marine on the island’.
The flag, rescued from a sinking ship in the Pearl Harbor attack, now part of a famous photograph, lifted the spirits of a war-weary homefront and emboldened the battle-weary on the front lines.
