LSUDad Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 On this day in 1945: US Marines raise American flag on top of Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Photo of which by Joe Rosenthall later became iconic, inspiring the Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture. 5:28 AM · Feb 23, 2019 · Twitter Web Client Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 We make our trip down to the Rio Grande Valley every year. On the way down we pass the Airport in Harlingen, Tx. It has a museum with a film on the battle to take the island. A little more info: Iwo Jima Memorial and Museum You have to stop and see the Iwo Jima memorial and museum. It's near the Marine Military Academy and the Harlingen Airport. Walk around the monument, and then stop in the museum and watch the video and take in all the museum artifacts. You may get a chance to talk to one of the Iwo Jima survivors there who volunteer to share this major piece of history. The value is unbeatable... free! Just depends what you want to spend in the gift shop. Yes, shopping too... [Pam, 01/19/2011] Original Iwo Jima Memorial and Museum The original sculpture of the Iwo Jima Memorial, that is in Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC, is in Harlingen at the Marine Military Academy and Iwo Jima Memorial Museum. This is the clay sculpture that the bronze statue in Arlington Cemetery was made from. The detail is awesome! Even the cloth weave is visible in the soldiers' clothes and web belts. There is an adjacent, small museum with Marine memorabilia, mainly from Iwo. Take time to pet the calico cat greeter outside. Site is free with donations accepted. [Bob and Virginia Miller, 12/03/2006] Iwo Jima War Memorial At the base of the statue, Harlon Block is buried. Harlon Block was one of the original flag raisers on that fateful day. South Texas is Harlon's birth home. [Leo Alva, 08/14/2005] Iwo Jima War Memorial One more Texas attraction. We have our own bronze statue of the Iwo Jima War Memorialat Harlingen, Texas. It is the very same as the one in Arlington National Cemetery. [Beverly Short, 02/15/1998] It's the original plaster working model of the famous bronze statue, treated for preservation. One marine's canteen would hold 32 quarts of water. Part of the Marine Military Academy at 320 Iwo Jima Blvd. Visitors Center, museum and gift shop, of course. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_War_Memorial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 Today is the 74th anniversary of raising the US flag on Iwo Jima Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. (Joe Rosenthal/Released) FEBRUARY 23, 2019 LAURA WIDENER Share24K Tweet +1 10K SHARES One of World War II’s most iconic events was captured by photo 74 years ago today on Feb. 23, 1945. Six U.S. Marines hoisted a pole bearing the American flag at Mount Suribachi during World War II’s Battle of Iwo Jima. It was the second flag of two flags erected on the mountain that day, marking the first Japanese territory taken over by U.S. forces. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. (Joe Rosenthal/Released) The moment was captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal of Associated Press in a photo titled “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,” and was widely distributed in newspapers days after it was taken. Later that year, Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Prize for the photo, becoming the only prize awarded in the same year the photo was captured. The flag raising came just days after Marines stormed the island of Iwo Jima on Feb. 19. ADVERTISEMENT The U.S. Marines suffered significant losses upon breaching the heavily fortified island. They focused on first overtaking Mount Suribachi, the highest peak on the island which provided a strategic overlook position. The Battle for Iwo Jima stands as one of the most deadliest battles in both the history of the Marine Corps, and of World War II. Nearly 7,000 Marines lost their lives on the island, and another 20,000 were wounded, according to the National World War II Museum. Marines with the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division first raised a flag with photographer Louis Lowery on Feb. 23. Hours later, additional Marines arrived with a larger flag, which was then captured by Rosenthal. Short video footage was also captured, quelling the arguments that the scene was fake or staged. Three of the six Marines pictured were later killed the following month in the continuing Battle of Iwo Jima, which didn’t conclude until late March after 36 days of battle. ADVERTISEMENT The photo remains one of the most reproduced photos in history, and is among the most recognizable war photos in history. U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, fifth division, cheer and hold up their rifles after raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a volcanic Japanese island, on Feb. 23, 1945 during World War II. (Joe Rosenthal/Released) The historic moment is commemorated each year with ceremonies and flag-raising reenactments throughout the nation. Claiming Iwo Jima proved to be a vital part in the United States’ effort in the war. The island became a landing site for B-29 bombers, and is attributed to saving the lives of 24,000 airmen. It also paved the way for the final and largest Pacific region battle, the invasion of Okinawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Some interesting things about the flag raising. The flagpole they used was a large iron water pipe found on the mountain (I assume from a structure that was bombed out). This is why it took so many men to raise it...they needed to overcome a leverage disadvantage. The flag raising did not occur at the end of the battle - as so many assume - the actual fighting went on for about another month. The flag was raised to boost the morale of the troops amidst the heavy casualties of the battle. There were actually 2 flags raised. The 1st flag was deemed too small for the troops below to see easily so a 2nd, larger flag (the one in the film and depicted by these statues) was brought in. This has led to some BS conspiracy theory that this was somehow all "staged" (those asshats can all officially fuck off). The flag raising was about 4 days in to a 5 week battle that led to 25,705 soldiers being killed ( 6,821 Americans and 18,884 Japanese) + 19,217 wounded. The photographs Rosenthal took were sent off to Guam to get processed and the iconic photo was already famous by the time he got back to Guam. Way before the internet, this photographer (who had sent dozens and dozens of photos of the battle) was immediately asked if the "flag photo" was staged. He thought they were talking about this one because he didn't think he had gotten a good shot of the actual (2nd) flag raising: His reply was "of course" - which is understandable considering he thought they were asking about the above photo. Only later did he realize people were asking about the famous photo and no matter how hard he tried over the years to explain that the iconic photo was not staged, it has fallen on deaf earss in asshat land. So, if anyone ever tells you the Iwo Jima flag raising was staged, you are allowed to correct them in any manner you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Herb, the trip down to the Rio has much of this info. Well worth a visit. My uncle fought on many of the islands in the Pacific, his war helmet has a painting of every stop. His daughter has it, I’ve seen it years ago. Will try to get a picture to post. When he came back from the war, he built and ran a bar called the Casa Loma on the West side of the Mississippi River, right across from Tiger Stadium. He was also a sign painter, painted signs all over BTR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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