Photos from the battle of Iwo Jima (1 Viewer)

[Saintman2884]

63 years ago, one of the bloodiest battles of WWII was being fought in the island shores of Iwo Jima, that nasty battle signaled the nadir of Japanese resistance to American invaders and soon Okinawa would fall in April, May, and June of 1945. I felt since now is the 63th anniversary of that famous battle and horendous bloody fight to capture it, this was the best picture to sum it up.

I know some of us americans are not as patroitic as we used to be but this photo is classic and timeless. it shows how 4-5 American men risking their lives with hell all around and Japanese snipers watching their moves at all steps.

I hope you guys enjoy this photo, it is probably one that is timeless and makes you tear up everytime you see it and yet feel proud at the same time.

God Bless our men in uniform, from then to today, from Okinawa to Basra and Ardennes to Baghdad, you are not forgotten and your sacrifices are still in my mind and other Americans as well.

chronicle.augusta.com/images/headlines/030399/iwo_jima.jpg

 

[pancho]

Good post, God bless our troops and veterans.

 

[Goatman Saint]

63 years ago, one of the bloodiest battles of WWII was being fought in the island shores of Iwo Jima, that nasty battle signaled the nadir of Japanese resistance to American invaders and soon Okinawa would fall in April, May, and June of 1945. I felt since now is the 63th anniversary of that famous battle and horendous bloody fight to capture it, this was the best picture to sum it up.

I know some of us americans are not as patroitic as we used to be but this photo is classic and timeless. it shows how 4-5 American men risking their lives with hell all around and Japanese snipers watching their moves at all steps.

I hope you guys enjoy this photo, it is probably one that is timeless and makes you tear up everytime you see it and yet feel proud at the same time.

God Bless our men in uniform, from then to today, from Okinawa to Basra and Ardennes to Baghdad, you are not forgotten and your sacrifices are still in my mind and other Americans as well.

chronicle.augusta.com/images/headlines/030399/iwo_jima.jpg

Actually that is the second flag raising. This is the first raising. The second one was put up later because the first was too small to be seen. For some reason this has always annoyed me.

 

[NCSaint]

I thought the second one was needed because some general wanted the first one as a personal treasure. At least I was told that or somethign to that effect. There is a movie out now that talks about this. (I know movies are mostly BS so I may be dead wrong about all of this).

Still - point is the brave men who did it one or twice or whatever.

 

[porculator]

I thought the second one was needed because some general wanted the first one as a personal treasure. At least I was told that or somethign to that effect. There is a movie out now that talks about this. (I know movies are mostly BS so I may be dead wrong about all of this).

Still - point is the brave men who did it one or twice or whatever.

I think the movie is pretty accurate about it. My dad was a marine and is always the first to point out a movies innaccuracies, and had no problem with Flags of our Fathers, even though it painted a less than rosy picture about the whole thing.

 

[NCSaint]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_Our_Fathers_(film)

Early in the battle, on the fifth day, the American forces captured Mount Suribachi. A contingent of Marines erected an American flag on the summit, and a photo was taken of the flag raising. Shortly afterward, Navy Secretary James Forrestal requested that the flag be sent to Washington as a souvenir. When this flag was taken down, a new one had to be put up. Strank, Block, Sousley, Hayes, Gagnon and "Doc" were the men assigned to raise this second flag. While they did, photographer Joe Rosenthal took a snapshot. A few days later, Rosenthal's snapshot was published in newspapers all over the United States. Most Americans who saw the photo believed it commemorated a great American victory, but victory was still weeks away. The bloody battle raged on at Iwo Jima, and three of the flag raisers- Strank, Block and Sousley- were killed in action without being aware of the photo's widespread fame.

The photo gained symbolic status in America, and the War Department realized that the photo and the flag raisers could have great propaganda value. It took a little while to identify and locate the flag raisers,but once Hayes, Gagnon and Doc had been identified, they were brought back to the U.S.A. and sent on a tour to promote the war.

 

[Rickboy]

If you liked "Flags of our Fathers", you should really check out "Letters from Iwo Jima" which was also made by Eastwood. It is the telling of the battle from the Japanese side. IMO it was at least as good as "Flags of our Fathers"

 

[BullDawg]

I think the movie is pretty accurate about it. My dad was a marine and is always the first to point out a movies innaccuracies, and had no problem with Flags of our Fathers, even though it painted a less than rosy picture about the whole thing.

The book Flags of Our Fathers was authored by James Bradley, the son of one of the "immortalized" Iwo Jima flag raisers (the second flag raising). I highly recommend reading this and Flyboys: A True Story of Courage for a non-nonsense view of the Pacific Theater of WWII.

 

[SaintMeaux]

"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years."
James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy; 23 February 1945