Joe Rosenthal, the photographer who took the iconic photo of US Marines raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during a bloody battle with the Japanese, has died at the age of 94.
Three of the six Marines in the photo did not survive the battle. Another, Ira Hayes, had a tragic postwar life commemorated in Johnny Cash’s great song.
There is no evidence that the photo was staged, as some have claimed. The Marines in the photo were replacing a smaller flag that had been planted earlier.
The photo is the basis for a memorial to Marines, across the river from Washington.
Update: Harold Evans at Comment is Free has some thoughts about the significance of Joe Rosenthal’s photo. (Hat tip: Tom.)
