Phantom Blooper
11-10-03, 06:21 AM
November 10, 2003 Jacksonville, North Carolina A Freedom ENC Property
A proud symbol, a proud tradition
November 10,2003
It's an image that's burned into the fabric of this country, as American as the Stars and Stripes, as enduring as the Bill of Rights: a flag and six men - five U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman - atop Mt. Suribachi punctuating one of World War II's bloodiest Pacific battles.
The Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, taken by news photographer Joe Rosenthal, depicts the six men planting the large flag on Iwo Jima. One Marine in front crouches as he helps anchor the base of the flag into the earth. The others, lined up behind him, reach out, supporting the flag and one another, their muscles straining through the fabric of their uniforms. At the rear one Marine has loosened his grasp of the pole as it angles to the sky.
Above all, is the flag, Old Glory, partially unfurled, preparing to fly over a tiny island where so many died.
The Rosenthal photograph struck a chord with the American people. It spoke of the shadow of war and death and the pride the people back home felt when they saw the flag - their flag - flying in the South Pacific on Japanese territory, not far from the coast of Japan.
The Rosenthal photograph didn't depict the original flag-raising on Suribachi. It was the second flag raised that day on Iwo Jima, a battle that has gone down in Marine Corps history as the most costly in terms of lost lives.
It started on Feb. 19, 1945, on a sliver of an island about 650 miles from Tokyo. Following a bombardment that was largely ineffective due to the Japanese strategy of deploying underground in a stronghold built to honeycomb the island, the 4th and 5th Marine divisions invaded Iwo Jima.
The fighting was fierce and often compared to a "meat grinder." With the Japanese positioned in their underground bunkers, the enemy was nearly impossible to rout. The Japanese, whom history says had taken an oath to fight to the last man, were able to wreak a terrible toll on the invading Marines.
Marines assaulting the beaches went down in waves, while others on the 7.5 mile stretch of land found themselves constantly in the crosshairs of Japanese rifles. Finally, the 28th Regiment of the 5th Division was given the responsibility of taking Mt. Suribachi, an extinct volcano that rises 550 feet above the island. According to official Marine Corps records, the 28th reached the base of the mountain by the afternoon of Feb. 21. By nightfall of the next day, they had the mountain surrounded. The Marines of E Company, 2nd Battalion, started climbing Suribachi on Feb. 23, reaching the summit and planting a small American flag at about 10:30 that morning.
Later that day, a second group made their way up to the summit and supplanted the original smaller flag with the larger one captured in Rosenthal's famous picture.
Legend has it that the larger flag went up so more could see it. It was meant to be a rallying point for the troops. Instead, thanks to Rosenthal's photograph, it became a rallying point for the American public.
Controversy about the second flag-raising surrounded the photograph and the men in that picture. A total of 11 men took part in the two flag-raisings. Of those, five died on Iwo Jima, including three of the six in Rosenthal's famous photograph.
The men who raised that second flag seemed to always carry the guilt of what they believed was false fame. They expressed many times that the real heroes were the men who died or were wounded in taking Iwo Jima. Of the approximately 20,000 Marines who perished during World War II, nearly 5,500 were killed as a result of the battle to take Iwo Jima.
Capt. Dave Serverance, commander of E Company, was later quoted as saying that of the 310 men in the company, seven of whom were officers, only 50 returned from Iwo Jima. Severance was the only officer to survive.
The Rosenthal photograph of E Company's raising of the flag eventually became a statue honoring Marines everywhere, as well as a memorial to their many sacrifices. The world's tallest bronze statue, the figures of the men in the Marine Corps Memorial, stands an amazing 32-feet tall.
The struggle to take Iwo Jima occurred 58 years ago. Most who participated have passed into history. Now it's Marines from Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station, New River, that carry the torch that's been handed down from one generation of Leathernecks to another since 1775: "to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."
On the occasion of the Marine Corps' 228th Birthday, contemporary Marines keep the circle of unflinching service to their country and fellow Americans unbroken. It's a devotion to duty that's distinguished the Marine Corps throughout its history.
Today's Marines continue to serve this great nation whenever and wherever needed, giving life and meaning to the words engraved under the towering bronze figures of the Marine Corps' Memorial: "Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue."
Happy Birthday, Marines! Semper-Fi!!
:marine:
A proud symbol, a proud tradition
November 10,2003
It's an image that's burned into the fabric of this country, as American as the Stars and Stripes, as enduring as the Bill of Rights: a flag and six men - five U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman - atop Mt. Suribachi punctuating one of World War II's bloodiest Pacific battles.
The Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, taken by news photographer Joe Rosenthal, depicts the six men planting the large flag on Iwo Jima. One Marine in front crouches as he helps anchor the base of the flag into the earth. The others, lined up behind him, reach out, supporting the flag and one another, their muscles straining through the fabric of their uniforms. At the rear one Marine has loosened his grasp of the pole as it angles to the sky.
Above all, is the flag, Old Glory, partially unfurled, preparing to fly over a tiny island where so many died.
The Rosenthal photograph struck a chord with the American people. It spoke of the shadow of war and death and the pride the people back home felt when they saw the flag - their flag - flying in the South Pacific on Japanese territory, not far from the coast of Japan.
The Rosenthal photograph didn't depict the original flag-raising on Suribachi. It was the second flag raised that day on Iwo Jima, a battle that has gone down in Marine Corps history as the most costly in terms of lost lives.
It started on Feb. 19, 1945, on a sliver of an island about 650 miles from Tokyo. Following a bombardment that was largely ineffective due to the Japanese strategy of deploying underground in a stronghold built to honeycomb the island, the 4th and 5th Marine divisions invaded Iwo Jima.
The fighting was fierce and often compared to a "meat grinder." With the Japanese positioned in their underground bunkers, the enemy was nearly impossible to rout. The Japanese, whom history says had taken an oath to fight to the last man, were able to wreak a terrible toll on the invading Marines.
Marines assaulting the beaches went down in waves, while others on the 7.5 mile stretch of land found themselves constantly in the crosshairs of Japanese rifles. Finally, the 28th Regiment of the 5th Division was given the responsibility of taking Mt. Suribachi, an extinct volcano that rises 550 feet above the island. According to official Marine Corps records, the 28th reached the base of the mountain by the afternoon of Feb. 21. By nightfall of the next day, they had the mountain surrounded. The Marines of E Company, 2nd Battalion, started climbing Suribachi on Feb. 23, reaching the summit and planting a small American flag at about 10:30 that morning.
Later that day, a second group made their way up to the summit and supplanted the original smaller flag with the larger one captured in Rosenthal's famous picture.
Legend has it that the larger flag went up so more could see it. It was meant to be a rallying point for the troops. Instead, thanks to Rosenthal's photograph, it became a rallying point for the American public.
Controversy about the second flag-raising surrounded the photograph and the men in that picture. A total of 11 men took part in the two flag-raisings. Of those, five died on Iwo Jima, including three of the six in Rosenthal's famous photograph.
The men who raised that second flag seemed to always carry the guilt of what they believed was false fame. They expressed many times that the real heroes were the men who died or were wounded in taking Iwo Jima. Of the approximately 20,000 Marines who perished during World War II, nearly 5,500 were killed as a result of the battle to take Iwo Jima.
Capt. Dave Serverance, commander of E Company, was later quoted as saying that of the 310 men in the company, seven of whom were officers, only 50 returned from Iwo Jima. Severance was the only officer to survive.
The Rosenthal photograph of E Company's raising of the flag eventually became a statue honoring Marines everywhere, as well as a memorial to their many sacrifices. The world's tallest bronze statue, the figures of the men in the Marine Corps Memorial, stands an amazing 32-feet tall.
The struggle to take Iwo Jima occurred 58 years ago. Most who participated have passed into history. Now it's Marines from Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station, New River, that carry the torch that's been handed down from one generation of Leathernecks to another since 1775: "to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."
On the occasion of the Marine Corps' 228th Birthday, contemporary Marines keep the circle of unflinching service to their country and fellow Americans unbroken. It's a devotion to duty that's distinguished the Marine Corps throughout its history.
Today's Marines continue to serve this great nation whenever and wherever needed, giving life and meaning to the words engraved under the towering bronze figures of the Marine Corps' Memorial: "Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue."
Happy Birthday, Marines! Semper-Fi!!
:marine: