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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Iwo Jima flag raising identities

In this Feb 23, 1945 photo, U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan. The Marine Corps has corrected the identify of another of the men who were photographed raising the American flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. The Marines said Thursday that after questions were raised by private historians who studied photos and films, it determined that Cpl. Harold P. Keller was among the six men who raised the flag. The Marines say Pfc. Rene Gagnon had helped in the effort but for decades was mistakenly identified by the Marines as one of the flag-raisers.

In this Feb 23, 1945 photo, U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan. The Marine Corps has corrected the identify of another of the men who were photographed raising the American flag at Iwo Jima during World War II. The Marines said Thursday that after questions were raised by private historians who studied photos and films, it determined that Cpl. Harold P. Keller was among the six men who raised the flag. The Marines say Pfc. Rene Gagnon had helped in the effort but for decades was mistakenly identified by the Marines as one of the flag-raisers.

Joe Rosenthal Associated Press


In a second photo Rosenthal shot at Iwo Jima, Marines pose in front of the flag they just raised.

Joe Rosenthal Associated Press


This aerial photo taken on July 22, 1981 shows Iwo Jima, the volcanic island immortalized in one of World War II’s most brutal battles, about 1,120 kilometers (700 miles) southeast of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean. Japan has changed the name of the island to reflect the original name given by locals, who have become disenchanted with the popularization of its modern-day moniker by such movies as Clint Eastwood’s recently released “Letters from Iwo Jima.” The new name is Iwo To, which will retain the same written characters and meaning _ “Sulfur Island” _ but is different when spoken, the Japanese Geographical Survey Institute has decided. The name change was approved Monday, June 18, 2007 by a joint geographical naming committee meeting between the survey institute and Japan’s coast guard, a statement from the institute said.

Kyodo News Associated Press


The Marine Corps War Memorial is seen in Arlington, Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2006. Joe Rosenthal, The Associated Press photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for his immortal image of World War II servicemen raising an American flag over battle-scarred Iwo Jima, has died. He was 94. Rosenthal’s iconic photo, shot on Feb. 23, 1945, became the model for the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The memorial, dedicated in 1954 and known officially as the Marine Corps War Memorial, commemorates the Marines who died taking the Pacific island in World War II.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais Associated Press


In a June 28, 1995 photo with the Iwo Jima Memorial in the background, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Joe Rosenthal poses for photographers in Arlington, Va., during a ceremony honoring photographers who lost their lives covering military conflicts around the world. Rosenthal won a Pulitzer Prize for making the photo that the Iwo Jima Memorial is modeled after.

Doug Mills Associated Press

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