Flag Raising On Iwo Jima, Joe Rosenthal, 1945
The Americans needed Iwo Jima, a tiny island about 760 miles south of Tokyo, as an air base, but the Japanese had dug in. U.S. troops landed on February 19, 1945, beginning a month of fighting that claimed the lives of 6,800 Americans and 21,000 Japanese. On the fifth day of battle, the Marines captured Mount Suribachi. The victors raised an American flag but a commander wanted an even bulkier flag to be raised in order to inspire the American troops and demoralize the Japanese. Five Marines and a Navy corpsman put in their entire weight to raise the flag.