Here is the timeline of the flag raising(s) on Mt. Suribachi. In his own words, Rosenthal said it was staged (well it wasn't quite) but he did not get ashore to take a photo of the first flag raising a little after 10 am. The famous Joe Rosenthal photo is of the second flag raising. http://www.centurytel.net/amlegionlacrosse/iwojima1.htm "The information provided comes from Iwo Jima, by Richard Newcomb 1982. Naval action information is from The Fast Carriers:The Forging of an Air Navy, Clark Reynolds." "2/23 First units of Marines now at the top of Mt. Suribachi after bitter fighting. Patrol led by Lt. Harold Schreir raises a small flag on top of Mt. Suribachi. at 10:20 A.M. Later a larger flag is brought from an LST(Landing Ship Tank) and raised. Advancements to north now have advanced to the second airfield which is located in the center of the island." also: http://www.wwiivets.com/IssueXIV/wells_article.htm Well, during this period, Forestall, Secretary of the Navy, landed and he saw the flag. And he looked at it and he said - and this was reported by somebody - "That flag means the Marine Corps for another 500 years!" and then he turned to an aide and said, "I'd like to get that flag. Have that flag sent to me." So, we were going along our way and suddenly the colonel got this message: Congratulations, but Forestall wants the flag. And my colonel was a feisty fellow, short and tough as can be. And he said, "He's not going to have this flag, this flag belongs to this battalion! Get another flag!" So we got an officer to go down to the beach to get a flag and then he yelled, "get a bigger one and we'll put that one up." By the way, nobody knows of any of this. Nobody was recording it. So we got the second flag and that was brought up to the mountain. Well, during this episode, Rosenthal, the AP photographer, came along and said "I want to go up to the mountain and take a picture of the flag." and he was given that permission. So the second flag arrived and the officer, Schreir (in charge in this case), wanted to take one flag down and put the other one up at the same time. I don't know why but that's what he told us afterwards. So they were getting this ready when Rosenthal came up. And the Marine corps photographer who had gone up on the patrol had taken the picture and he said to him, "You know, we put the flag up and I've got the picture already." They had lined the flag up and put all the troops in front yelling and celebrating and took the picture, which became known as the gung-ho picture of the flag raising. So that was all settled. That had been done. Then Rosenthal said, "Well, for some reason they are putting up another flag," so he turned and took a picture of the flag, which later became the most reproduced picture of the war. And he didn't even set his timing or do any of the things that photographers normally do. And then when the flag was up he went and got the gung-ho picture. Everyone was yelling and you could see everybody's face and you knew who everybody was. Then that was completed and slowly everybody came down. The original flag came down. So here you had this situation that was taking place and going on and there was one unfortunate thing because they sent their pictures to Guam to get developed and it would be some time before they would know if any of the pictures were any good. Well, somebody saw this flag raising picture and said here's a real terrific picture so they sent it back to Washington and they finally said we are going to make this the symbol of the bond drive and it was the most recorded and printed flag picture in the world. One mistake that was made was that a man came up to Rosenthal a week or so later and said to him, did you stage that flag picture? And he said, "Certainly, I staged the picture." He had no idea that his quick shot was this famous picture. So this is how it all happened. And books have been written - and I have written to refute it - that this was a high command, Hollywood cowboys, staged situation. When you hear that, you should know it is baloney. It was not. It was a set of peculiar little circumstances that built into this whole thing and nobody knew what they were getting into." and: http://www.bullworks.net/iwojima.htm "The exchange of the two flags took place at 1435, about four hours after the first flag was raised, and was recorded as a still picture by Marine Photographer Pvt. Robert R. Campbell; to his right Marine Cameraman Sgt. William H. Genaust, (later KIA), took color film moving pictures of the raising of the second and larger flag. It was during this time that Associated Press Photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped the still photo that was later to become the model for the Marine Monument erected at Arlington National Cemetery. " http://www.ibew.org/stories/01journal/0106/IwoJima.htm "On February 24, 2001, they showed up at the Richfield, Minnesota, home of 80-year-old Charles Lindberg, a retired member of IBEW Local 292, Minneapolis. He was presented with a letter from the commandant of the Marine Corps honoring his role in the historic raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima. Formal Marine Corps recognition of what happened on February 23, 1945, came 56 years later because Lindberg helped raise the original flag on Mt. Suribachi at 10:40 a.m. Several hours later six other marines replaced it with a bigger flag and Associated Press Photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped what is arguably the most famous photo of World War II." Well if the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps AND Joe Rosenthal AP say it was staged that's good enough for me. darkroommike ---------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tina Manley" <images@InfoAve.Net> To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students" <photoforum@listserver.isc.rit.edu> Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 6:08 PM Subject: Re: Brian Walski Fired. > At 05:15 PM 4/3/2003 -0600, you wrote: > > >The famous Iwo Jima flag raising over Mt. Suribachi photo is a reenactment > >of an earlier event, also. It got a Pulitzer as I recall. > >my two cents > >darkroommike > > This is not true. Often repeated, but not true. > > Tina > > > Tina Manley, ASMP > www.tinamanley.com > > Faces of Iraq: > http://www.leica-gallery.net/tinamanley/folder-4312.html >
