THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 23, 1945
In what was the defining moment of the Battle of Iwo Jima, U. S. Marines raised the American flag at the top of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest peak. American soldiers had been fighting for control of the mountain, the key strategic position on the island. While the initial flag- raising was captured by military photographer Lou Lowery, the Marines decided to raise a larger flag. With them the second time was Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. He shot three photographs, the first of which showed six marines struggling to hoist the flagpole. It won him a Pulitzer Prize and became one of the most reproduced photographs in history. The Americans secured complete control of Iwo Jima, which the Japanese were using as a base for aircraft, on March 26. Only 200 of 22,000 Japanese defenders were captured alive, while more than 6,000 Americans were killed and 17,000 wounded.