thedrifter
06-15-07, 08:30 AM
FIRST IWO JIMA FLAG ON DISPLAY STARS AND STRIPES Flag in photo was not the first
June 15, 2007 12:35 am
BY TESS HAMILTON
At 29 by 56 inches, it often goes unnoticed next to its famous replacement, but the first flag raised over Iwo Jima got its due yesterday at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The center of the museum's Flag Day celebration, the flag joined an exhibit on the battle of Iwo Jima in a small ceremony crowded with veterans and other visitors.
Though it was replaced after about two hours by the larger, more visible flag captured in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, the first flag remains an important symbol for both the Marine Corps and the nation.
Raised under hostile fire using a pipe as a makeshift flagpole, the smaller flag helped boost morale by commemorating the hard-fought occupation of Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.
The fight for the strategically important island lasted another month, and resulted in more than 6,800 Marine and Navy casualties.
The second flag raised on the island had been part of the World War II gallery exhibit since the museum's opening in November.
So far, space constraints have made it impossible to display both flags at the same time. Staff Sgt. Bob Sullivan, the museum's curator, explained that the holiday was a "fitting day to switch out" the two artifacts.
The ceremony paid tribute to the historical significance of the flags and the men who served under them.
"We alternate these flags not only so that Marines who served in World War II can see both of them, but to remember those who gave their all to secure our liberty," said Maj. Gen. Donald Gardner, president of the Marine Corps University.
Previously, both flags had been in the care of the 5th Marines Division Association, and were periodically loaned out to museums for exhibitions and special events.
Neil Abelsma, curator of uniforms and heraldry for the museum, explained the flags' surprisingly complex history and the preservation efforts.
Though many private companies claim to have made the Iwo Jima flags, both were actually government-issued, produced at a facility near San Francisco, Abelsma explained. The first flag was manufactured in 1944.
One of Abelsma's main concerns is preserving the condition of both flags, which are sensitive to light. Flash photography is prohibited and the lights are kept low in the display area to preserve the flags' color.
Though the flags' colors have faded, the memories of the veterans in attendance were as vivid as ever. Hearing the history of Iwo Jima and seeing that first flag again "brought back some tears" for former Pvt. James Rigney, who served on the island.
After enlisting in March 1944, Rigney became a member of the famous 3rd Platoon, Easy Company, 28th Regiment of the 5th Marines, and participated in the first assaults of the island.
Rigney remembers watching members of his company "pitch" the first flag.
Bob Vandelind, a retired Army paratrooper who served in the Korean War, also found himself transported by the first flag.
"You visualize the faces [of the fallen] and thank God you survived--and wonder how," he said.
Tess Hamilton: 540/374-5000
Email: thamilton@freelancestar.com
Ellie
June 15, 2007 12:35 am
BY TESS HAMILTON
At 29 by 56 inches, it often goes unnoticed next to its famous replacement, but the first flag raised over Iwo Jima got its due yesterday at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The center of the museum's Flag Day celebration, the flag joined an exhibit on the battle of Iwo Jima in a small ceremony crowded with veterans and other visitors.
Though it was replaced after about two hours by the larger, more visible flag captured in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, the first flag remains an important symbol for both the Marine Corps and the nation.
Raised under hostile fire using a pipe as a makeshift flagpole, the smaller flag helped boost morale by commemorating the hard-fought occupation of Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.
The fight for the strategically important island lasted another month, and resulted in more than 6,800 Marine and Navy casualties.
The second flag raised on the island had been part of the World War II gallery exhibit since the museum's opening in November.
So far, space constraints have made it impossible to display both flags at the same time. Staff Sgt. Bob Sullivan, the museum's curator, explained that the holiday was a "fitting day to switch out" the two artifacts.
The ceremony paid tribute to the historical significance of the flags and the men who served under them.
"We alternate these flags not only so that Marines who served in World War II can see both of them, but to remember those who gave their all to secure our liberty," said Maj. Gen. Donald Gardner, president of the Marine Corps University.
Previously, both flags had been in the care of the 5th Marines Division Association, and were periodically loaned out to museums for exhibitions and special events.
Neil Abelsma, curator of uniforms and heraldry for the museum, explained the flags' surprisingly complex history and the preservation efforts.
Though many private companies claim to have made the Iwo Jima flags, both were actually government-issued, produced at a facility near San Francisco, Abelsma explained. The first flag was manufactured in 1944.
One of Abelsma's main concerns is preserving the condition of both flags, which are sensitive to light. Flash photography is prohibited and the lights are kept low in the display area to preserve the flags' color.
Though the flags' colors have faded, the memories of the veterans in attendance were as vivid as ever. Hearing the history of Iwo Jima and seeing that first flag again "brought back some tears" for former Pvt. James Rigney, who served on the island.
After enlisting in March 1944, Rigney became a member of the famous 3rd Platoon, Easy Company, 28th Regiment of the 5th Marines, and participated in the first assaults of the island.
Rigney remembers watching members of his company "pitch" the first flag.
Bob Vandelind, a retired Army paratrooper who served in the Korean War, also found himself transported by the first flag.
"You visualize the faces [of the fallen] and thank God you survived--and wonder how," he said.
Tess Hamilton: 540/374-5000
Email: thamilton@freelancestar.com
Ellie