An armada of 880 ships sailed toward Iwo Jima (Sulfur Island) in February of 1945. U.S. Marines would make an amphibious landing at this speck of Pacific real estate, battling for more than a month against dug-in Japanese soldiers led by Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
John Bradley, a Navy medic, was assigned to assist the Marines. At the top of Mt. Suribachi, the island's dormant volcano, Bradley helped Mike Strank, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, Franklin Sousley and Harlon Block to raise an American flag. Joe Rosenthal took a picture of the event, which later won him a Pulitzer Prize.
Before the battle for Iwo Jima was over, three of the flag raisers had died. So did thousands of Marines and most of their Japanese opponents. In this story behind the movie "Flags of our Fathers," take a virtual trip to Iwo Jima and meet the real flag raisers, their commanders and the combat photographers who documented events. Following links to official archives, see actual pictures (and film footage) of the battle and learn the real story about one of the most famous photographs ever made. Brought to you by Click2Flicks, a channel of AwesomeStories.com.
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