This photograph shows the Marines of the 5th Division advancing up a slope during the 1945 battle of Iwo Jimabattle of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II.

Who actually raised the flag at Iwo Jima?

On Feb. 23, 1945, Marine Corps Pfc. Ira Hayes, a 22-year-old Pima Indian from Arizona, achieved immortal fame as one of the six flag raisers in the iconic World War II photo and film taken atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a small island in the Western Pacific.

What happened to the six men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?

Many of these men, including three of the Marines seen raising the flag in the famous Rosenthal photo, were killed before the conclusion of the Battle for Iwo Jima in late March.

Is the flag on Iwo Jima still there?





The two United States flags flown in Iwo Jima are being displayed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC). A press release from the NMMC details the importance of the emblematic flags. The Battle of Iwo Jima took place from February 19 to March 26, 1945.

What occurred with the US flag on Iwo Jima?

On Feb. 23, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima (opens in new tab) (Feb. 19 to March 26), six Marines planted the U.S. flag at the summit of Mount Suribachi. The scene was photographed by journalist Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press and his image soon became famous around the world.

Can you visit Iwo Jima today?

Visiting Iwo Jima Today



The Japan Air Self-Defense Force also uses the base with a garrison of 400 troops on the island. Civilian access is severely restricted. Only a small number of official tour operators are allowed to land there with tourists.

Who was the last surviving Iwo Jima flag raiser?



Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian Marine and one of the last surviving members of the Iwo Jima flag raising in World War II.

Are there any Iwo Jima survivors still alive?

Seventy-seven years after the Battle of Iwo Jima there are very few survivors still living. And now there is one less. Henry C. Myric passed away on May 28, 2022, at the age of 96.



How many Iwo Jima flag raisers survived?

three surviving flag raisers

The Iwo Jima flag-raising has been depicted in other films, including 1949’s Sands of Iwo Jima (in which the three surviving flag raisers make a cameo appearance at the end of the film) and 1961’s The Outsider, a biography of Ira Hayes starring Tony Curtis.

Were there any black soldiers at Iwo Jima?

Approximately 800 African Americans served on Iwo Jima, bringing up ammunition and supplies as well as evacuating wounded. The only two African American combat units formed by the Marine Corps were the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions, which garrisoned captured islands.

Could the US have bypassed Iwo Jima?



75th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima



Located roughly half way between Saipan and Tokyo, and directly under the flight path of B-29 Superfortress bombers headed to Japan, the island of Iwo Jima was a Japanese stronghold of crucial strategic importance and could not be bypassed.

Are American soldiers buried on Iwo Jima?

Photograph shows the Fifth Marine Division cemetery where some of the 4,189 U.S. Marines killed during the battle of Iwo Jima are buried.

Which battle was worse Okinawa or Iwo Jima?

By the end of the Iwo Jima engagement – which was fought from 19 February to 26 March – US casualties stood at 26,000, including 6,800 dead. The Battle for Okinawa, which took place between 1 April and 22 June, resulted in an even higher number of US casualties – 82,000, of whom more than 12,500 were killed or missing.

Did John Bradley raise the flag on Iwo Jima?

Five days into the battle, the Marines fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi. John Bradley was among them, and he was one of the soldiers who planted the first flag atop Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima.

Did Doc Bradley raise the flag on Iwo Jima?



Bradley was generally known as being one of the men who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as depicted in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by photographer Joe Rosenthal.

Did Ira Hayes raise the flag at Iwo Jima?

Hayes was commemorated in art and film, before and after his death. In 1949, he portrayed himself raising the flag in the movie Sands of Iwo Jima, starring John Wayne.



Ira Hayes
Nickname(s) “Chief Falling Cloud”, “Chief”
Born January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona, U.S.
Died January 24, 1955 (aged 32) Bapchule, Arizona, U.S.

Who are the people in the Iwo Jima statue?

Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and John Bradley posed for the sculptor as he modeled their faces in clay. These three men were believed to be the survivors of the famous flag raising (the others were killed on Iwo Jima).

Are there any Iwo Jima survivors still alive?

Seventy-seven years after the Battle of Iwo Jima there are very few survivors still living. And now there is one less. Henry C. Myric passed away on May 28, 2022, at the age of 96.

Were there any black soldiers at Iwo Jima?

Approximately 800 African Americans served on Iwo Jima, bringing up ammunition and supplies as well as evacuating wounded. The only two African American combat units formed by the Marine Corps were the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions, which garrisoned captured islands.