This Day in History:
U.S. Flag Raised
on Iwo Jima February 23, 1945 After taking the crest
of Mount Suribachi — Iwo Jima's most
strategic position — U.S. Marines raise
the U.S. flag to the cheers of American soldiers. Several hours later when a
second and larger flag was raised,
the moment was captured by
AP photographer, Joe Rosenthal. Of the three photos Rosenthal
took, one would win the Pulitzer
Prize and become the most
reproduced photo in history. Three of the six soldiers seen
in the photo were killed before
the end of the Battle for
Iwo Jima in late March. Defeating the 22,000 Japanese defenders
on the tiny volcanic island was an important
strategic World War II victory for the U.S. Only 200 of the defenders were
captured alive, 6,000 U.S. soldiers
were killed and 17,000 U.S. soldiers
were wounded in the battle.