Raising The Flag

Today is the 80th anniversary of the most famous American photograph of WW2; the flag raising on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima, the second flag raising to take place on the summit that day.  The American assault on the island began on February 19, 1945 and would go on for another 31 days after the flag raising.  Twenty six thousand American military personnel would be killed or wounded, while all but 200 of the 22,000 Japanese defenders would die.  Three of the six American flag raisers would be killed in the fighting.  The desperate nature of the fighting led General Graves Erksine, speaking at the dedication of the 3rd Marine Division cemetery on Iwo, to declare;

Victory was never in doubt . . . What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner. 

It was not until 2019 that all of the Marines in the photo were properly identified.  Of the six, three died on Iwo Jima and one was wounded.  

Sergeant Michael Strank - 25 years old, born in Czechoslovakia, killed March 1, 1945

Corporal Harlan Block - 20, Texas, killed March 1, 1945

PFC Franklin Sousy - 19, Kentucky, killed March 21, 1945

PFC Ira Hayes - 22, Arizona, out of 45 platoon members at start of the battle, Hayes was one of 5 who were still active at the end, suffered from PTSD, died 1955 

PFC Harold Schultz - 20, Michigan, wounded on Iwo, died 1995

PFC Harold Keller - 23, Iowa, died 1979

For more on Iwo Jima read this.

At the same time as Iwo, American troops in the Philippines were fighting the gruesome Battle of Manila.  Almost 7,000 Americans became casualties during the month long struggle, while Japanese troops slaughtered tens of thousands of Filipino civilians.  For more, read The Battle of Rizal Ballpark.

Meanwhile, on this date in Europe, American forces were advancing into the Rhineland of Germany.