Hawken Blog

todaysdocument:

On February 23, 1945, during the battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines raised a flag atop Mount Suribachi. It was taken down, and a second flag was raised. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured this second flag-raising. Now part of U.S. Navy records, it is one of the most famous war photographs in U.S. history.

Despite capturing Mount Suribachi in the early days of the battle, it would take US forces until the end of March and thousands of casualties before they captured the heavily fortified island.