As most vets, he never talked about it much, but my uncle was on Iwo Jima the day after the flag raising. Worked in air traffic control and was setting things up and then getting planes in and out. He still is around in good health and travels. But their number are dwindling. I’m glad we have some of these iconic images to remember them and their sacrifices.
Me: “Wow - you were on Iwo Jima the day after that?!”
Uncle: “Oh, it was pretty much done by then. Although for a few more days [weeks?] they would take potshots at us, or take potshots at a plane.”
Sixty Seven years ago today
Iwo Jima taught the band to pray,
They’ve been going in and out of style,
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile,
They’ve been in and out of memory
But they died so we’d be free
So may I introduce to you,
The act you’ve known for all these years,
The Iwo Jima Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We’re The Iwo Jima Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We hope you will enjoy the show,
Iwo Jima Lonely Hearts Club Band,
Sit back and let the evening go.
Iwo Jima Lonely
Iwo Jima Lonely
Iwo Jima Lonely Hearts Club Band
It’s wonderful to be here,
It’s certainly a thrill
You’re such a lovely audience,
We’d like to take you home with us, we’d love to take you home.
I don’t really want to stop the show,
But I thought you might like to know,
That the singer’s going to sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along,
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Shedding Tears
And the Iwo Jima Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Rosenthal fell into the water because he was a myopic klutz. For that he should be worshipped????
Rosenthal should have said the hell with it and gone back to the boat where he would have been safe and comfortable instead of walking up Suribachi and risking his life to record history.
He WALKED up the mountain; the Marines FOUGHT their way up that mountain. THEY are the heros, not some guy with a camera who happened to stumble upon them in their glory moment.
I have no objection to people celebrating the Rosenthal photo as a symbol of what those great men accomplished. But I chafe at seeing the scrivener elevated over the subject. And to Rosenthal's credit, he was always humble about his accomplishment and made sure the glory was directed where it belonged.
It is only in these latter days that we glorify the messenger rather than the message.