February 23rd 1945 is the date, Associate Press Combat Photographer, Joe Rosenthal took the iconic photo “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.” The U.S Army rejected Rosenthal, as a photographer, due to his poor eyesight; but he persisted, later attending the University of San Francisco and joining the staff of the Associated Press. In 1944 he followed the U.S Army and the U.S Marine Corps to Hollandia, New Guinea, Guam, Peleliu, Angaur, and Iwo Jima. On the morning of February 23rd Rosenthal received word that an American flag was being raised atop Mount Suribachi and raced to the volcano and began the 169-meter summit. Rosenthal piled stones and sandbags over two feet high in the attempt to gain the perfect shot, and was undeniably successful in doing so.
Rosenthal’s photo shows six U.S Marines raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi in Japan, during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. The iconic photo was extremely well received, being reprinted in thousands of publications and later receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Rosenthal’s photo was used for posters promoting war bonds in over 30 cities, assisting to raise $26.3 billion. The photo quickly became one of the most significant and recognizable images of war, later becoming the inspiration for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington D.C. dedicated to all U.S Marines Corps personnel who died defended the United States since 1775.
