I saw the film Flags of Our Fathers (2005), directed by Clint Eastwood. How authentic the film is I can't say!
Interest in buying war bonds to finance the war was flagging because many Americans believed the war couldn't be won. From what I remember, the raising of the flag was a Propaganda exercise to show the people the war was being won, but there were 'inaccuracies' in the reporting of the event.
I believe the propaganda campaign had the desired effect!
70,000 US servicemen and 22,000 Japanese soldiers fought on Iwo Jima. All the Japanese died and 26,000 Marines died.
Mount Suribachi.
Five Marines and 1 Navy corpsman raised a flag on Mount Suribachi located on the island of Iwo Jima. The photograph which later lead to a Marine memorial was taken by Joe Rosenthal.
After about a month, the Marines took it down. By then, the whole thing was frayed and torn up from the high winds. It was later given to the Marine Corps and is now on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
No American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle of Iwo Jima, largely because no American soldiers fought the battle of Iwo Jima. (Marines get really mad if you call them soldiers, and Iwo Jima was a Marine action.) Twenty-three Marines and four sailors earned the Medal of Honor for this battle. Fourteen of the Medals were earned posthumously--the recipient died doing his heroic action. Only eighty-two Marines earned the Medal in all of World War II.
The Marines raised the US flag on the top of Mt Suribachi in the Battle for Iwo Jima.
The American flag was raised atop Mount Suribachi, on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, on February 23, 1945.
70,000 US servicemen and 22,000 Japanese soldiers fought on Iwo Jima. All the Japanese died and 26,000 Marines died.
US Marines .
Iwo Jima '45.
The raised it in many places, but most famously during WWII, atop mount Mount Suribachi, on the Japanese held island of Iwo Jima.
Japanese versus US Marines .
Feb/Mar 1945.
The airfield.
70,000 US Marines
American Marines (God bless them) and Japanese troops.
Mount Suribachi.