Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

A photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945, showing six U.S. Marines raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Its composition became one of the most reproduced images of World War II.

Joe Rosenthal: An Associated Press photographer whose wartime photographs included the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima. He made the photograph while covering the battle for the Associated Press.
United States Marine Corps War Memorial: A bronze sculpture in Arlington, Virginia, based on Rosenthal’s photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. The memorial turns the photograph’s composition into a monumental public image.
Omaha Beach photograph: A group of photographs by Robert Capa depicting U.S. troops landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944. Like Rosenthal’s image, it became an enduring and debated visual record of combat.
James Bradley: An American author whose book Flags of Our Fathers recounts the lives of the men associated with the Iwo Jima flag raising. His family connection and writing helped renew public attention to the flag raisers.
Battle of Iwo Jima: A major battle between U.S. and Japanese forces on Iwo Jima from February 19 to March 26, 1945. The flag raising occurred during the battle’s struggle for control of the island.
War bond drives: Government campaigns encouraging people to lend money to a nation by purchasing bonds during wartime. The photograph’s popularity helped promote the Seventh War Loan campaign.
The Falling Soldier: A photograph attributed to Robert Capa that appears to show a Spanish Republican soldier at the moment of death. Both images have prompted debate over how staged or spontaneous wartime photographs can be.
Flags of Our Fathers: A 2000 nonfiction book by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Iwo Jima flag raisers and their later lives. The book examines how the photograph’s fame affected the men and their families.
Mount Suribachi: A volcanic peak at the southern end of Iwo Jima that became a Japanese defensive stronghold. The Marines raised the flag at its summit, the photograph’s defining location.
Pulitzer Prize for Photography: An annual award recognizing distinguished work in news photography. Rosenthal received the 1945 prize for the photograph.

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