76 YEARS AGO: Iwo Jima

Today commemorates the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945. This photo became one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.

Raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945

Most folks think this flag was raised by six marines; not true. It was raised by five marines and a Navy corpsman, John Bradley. His son, James Bradley, wrote a book, “Flags of Our Fathers,” that highlighted the lives of all six of these men (including one from my state, Texas; he’s in the front planting the pole in the ground). The book was also made into a motion picture.

This flag raising symbolized the taking of Mount Suribachi on the island, not the conquest of Iwo Jima. There was much fighting to follow. In fact, only three of these six men survived this battle. The next battle, Okinawa, was the last battle of all of WWII.

May God bless all these men and the sacrifices they made on our behalf. 76 years from now, may we STILL remember them and what they stood for.