Mount Suribachi's Famous Picture

[chris330 0]

Surprised that there isn't a thread about this already but the Daily Express ran a story on this only a week ago or so about the fate of the six men who were captured on film raising the flag on Mount Suribachi for what turned out to be such a famous shot.

I love finding out about the real story behind pictures and it appears that there is quite a story behind this one. For anyone who has ever looked at the picture and wondered what happened to them three went on to be killed in action later in the war, three survived the war but one died after becoming an alcoholic. Of the remaining two one was said to have hardly ever spoken about the war.

I'll have a look on google and see if I can dig out some more information. I wonder if it's possible to visit the spot where they raised the flag today?

Found a pic:

Amazing to think that at the time this was totally real and they had no idea how famous this picture was to become or what fates good or bad awaited them.

[Messiah 2]

random fact of the day - the statue has 13 feet for 6 men

[Fork122 0]

I just saw that there's video of the flag raising from Wikipedia captured by a camera man standing right next to the photographer who snapped the famous photo. Very interesting, I never knew it existed. (Note that the video is in OGG format, I found the codec for WMV here)

Another random fact (although it appears today's random fact has already been claimed by messiah) - The famous photo is actually the second flag raising on Mt. Suribachi, the first was a much less dramatic photo:

However, my random fact isn't nearly as interesting as the previous

Some very cool stories surrounding the event:

Quote[/b] ]Corporal Charles W. Lindberg, the sole member of this first flag raising still alive in 1994, later remembered the event like this: "We found a water pipe, tied the flag to it and put it up. Then all hell broke loose below. Troops cheered, ships blew horns and whistles and some men openly wept. It was a sight to behold...something a man doesn't forget."

Full story

Another from Wikipedia:

Quote[/b] ]Rosenthal put down his Speed Graphic camera on the ground so he could pile rocks to stand on for a better vantage point. In doing so, he nearly missed the shot. Realizing he was about to miss it, Rosenthal quickly swung his camera up and snapped the photograph without using the viewfinder. Ten years after the flag-raising, Rosenthal wrote:

"Out of the corner of my eye, I had seen the men start the flag up. I swung my camera and shot the scene. That is how the picture was taken, and when you take a picture like that, you don't come away saying you got a great shot. You don't know."

----EDIT----

Dug up some more info:

I wonder if it's possible to visit the spot where they raised the flag today?

It appears that there's a memorial that marks the spot on Suribachi:

Although it can't be seen in that picture on the right side it says:

Quote[/b] ]23 FEBRUARY 1945

OLD GLORY WAS RAISED ON

THIS SITE BY MEMBERS

OF THE 2nd Bn.28th Regt.

FIFTH MARINE DIVISION

So I suppose if you were to try to find the location you'd find a way to get to Iwo Jima, climb Mt. Suribachi, and find that marker.

[Messiah 2]

should have kept the drain pipe and flag, more fitting. My random fact should have read 13 legs - the extra leg is required to keep it standing.

can't remember where I heard that fact - It was on some war documentary on Iwo Jima and then onto the memorial itself.

[Fork122 0]

The old flag only had 48 states back then, we need to update to not leave Alaska and Hawaii out today

[chris330 0]

Who controls Iwo Jima today? Is it a friendly country to the West?

[Fork122 0]

Following WWII it was under US control until it was returned to Japan in 1968 according to Wikipedia.

[blackdog~ 0]

More random factoids:

The book (and movie) Flags of Our Fathers document the flag raising and the raisers. I posted a thread a while back and <s>no one</s> (all right there I go exaggerating again) very few people cared to reply.

I'd highly recommend the book. I've read it twice.

[Supah 0]

Bob Dylan routinely sings a song about one of the men, the Pima Indian Ira Hayes. His is a sad story of heroisme and alcoholisme which ended in his death. Anway, here are the lyrics to the song.

Quote[/b] ]

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell

About a brave young Indian you should remember well

From the land of the Pima Indian

A proud and noble band

Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years

The water grew Ira's peoples' crops

'Till the white man stole the water rights

And the sparklin' water stopped

Now Ira's folks were hungry

And their land grew crops of weeds

When war came, Ira volunteered

And forgot the white man's greed

[CHORUS:]

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,

Two hundred and fifty men

But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again

And when the fight was over

And when Old Glory raised

Among the men who held it high

Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

Ira returned a hero

Celebrated through the land

He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian

No water, no crops, no chance

At home nobody cared what Ira'd done

And when did the Indians dance

Then Ira started drinkin' hard;

Jail was often his home

They'd let him raise the flag and lower it

like you'd throw a dog a bone!

He died drunk one mornin'

Alone in the land he fought to save

Two inches of water in a lonely ditch

Was a grave for Ira Hayes

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes

But his land is just as dry

And his ghost is lyin' thirsty

In the ditch where Ira died

[Capt.Marion 0]

japan owns Iwo, but the Marines run exercises on the island. Civilians aren't allowed on the island unless given express permission from the Gov't or if they have the transportation to get there w/o being seen...

[Sophion-Black 0]

Another fact (according to official USMC records) is that the flag was from LST-779. Which, ironically, got its flag from a supply depot at Pear Harbor.

Anyways... you just don't see major pictures like that anymore. mainly because the press refuses to print them in fear of looking like they support the Iraq War... sad.

About the book Flags of our Fathers, it is actually part of ALMAR (the Marine Corp professional reading program). safe to say it's recommended to Marines.

[chris330 0]

Bob Dylan routinely sings a song about one of the men, the Pima Indian Ira Hayes. His is a sad story of heroisme and alcoholisme which ended in his death. Anway, here are the lyrics to the song.

What a shame. Bet he wonders what the hell he did all that for

[Supah 0]

Bob Dylan routinely sings a song about one of the men, the Pima Indian Ira Hayes. His is a sad story of heroisme and alcoholisme which ended in his death. Anway, here are the lyrics to the song.

What a shame. Bet he wonders what the hell he did all that for

Wondered, he is dead now. Like one american writer once put it "I t is a shame that apparently the only way we americans have to show our gratitude to the likes of Ira is to buy them a drink."