Memorial Day Reflection

Iwo Jima Memorial

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day in which we pay homage to the U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation.

The United States Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Virginia - also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial - powerfully captures that sacrifice. The statue, based upon Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal’s iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, realistically portrays the second flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.

Three of the six flag raisers, Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First-Class Franklin Sousley, tragically did not survive the battle.

Navy Cross and Purple Heart recipient John Bradley, who served as a Hospital Corpsman, was misidentified along with two others in the award winning photo. Apparently, Bradley had participated in the original flag raising (smaller flag) that took place earlier on that same day. Despite the confusion in accurately identifying these brave men, three of the six men involved in the second flag raising and two of the men involved in the original flag raising did not survive the 36-day battle which took the lives of nearly 7,000 Americans, mostly Marines.

The book Flags of Our Fathers, written by decorated war hero Bradley’s son, historian James Bradley, details the epic battle and the sacrifices that were made. Clint Eastwood brought the battle to life for generations of Americans in the movies Flags of Our Fathers (based on the book) and Letters from Iwo Jima. Both movies are brilliant reminders of the human cost that is unavoidable each and every time a nation goes to war.

The sacrifice made by those that risked and gave their lives in service of our nation is what we honor today, including the 13 American service members killed in the current U.S. War in Iran.

Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington, Virginia, at sunset.

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Faggioni.

First Flag Raising at Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945.

Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Price Winning Photo

Second Flag Raising at Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945.

Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington, Virginia (adjacent to Arlington Cemetery)

United States Navy Hospital Corpsman, John Bradley

Corporal Ira Hayes, an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, was one of the six Iwo Jima flag raisers. During the years following the war, Hayes struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder which contributed to alcoholism. In 1946 Hayes helped to accurately identify one of the fallen Marines misidentified in the iconic flag raising photograph. Ira Hayes tragically died in 1955 at age 32.