Read this

[Sjakihata]

very good and moving story, I appreciate it

one question, why did the US sent 'boys' to Iwo Jima? Didnt it have well trained soldiers and some veterans? Was it pressed for manpower? just curious.

[Adrian II]

very good and moving story, I appreciate it

Except that it does not seem to be true. The symbolism of the statue stands, though. Here is more on the background: http://hnn.us/articles/599.html

[Strike For The South]

Except that it does not seem to be true. The symbolism of the statue stands, though. Here is more on the background: http://hnn.us/articles/599.html

Reallly sniopes said it was although the man was probaly reefering to the men at iwo jima not the photo itself

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Except that it does not seem to be true. The symbolism of the statue stands, though. Here is more on the background: http://hnn.us/articles/599.html

I'd beleive the son of someone who had first hand accounts rather than a newsource. We all know how incredebly BS-prone news is.
Thanks for sharing SFTS, a very moving story. I thought I posed earlier, but I guess flood control kicked in

[Red Harvest]

I'd beleive the son of someone who had first hand accounts rather than a newsource. We all know how incredebly BS-prone news is.
Thanks for sharing SFTS, a very moving story. I thought I posed earlier, but I guess flood control kicked in

Are you saying you would rather believe myth than fact?

It has been well known for quite awhile that there were two flag rasings. The second raising was not staged however. The larger size of the second flag meant it could be seen all around, and made it more important for the purpose it served.

[Adrian II]

I'd beleive the son of someone who had first hand accounts rather than a newsource. We all know how incredebly BS-prone news is.

And we all know how war propaganda can distort facts. In case you didn't read a single syllable of the article I linked to, here is what the historians had to say on the basis of their interviews, not with the children of the men who served on Iwo Jima, but with the actual Iwo Jima veterans themselves:

We ended with the somber memories of the men who fought the battle and their poignant reflections on the tragedy of war. Why did this matter? The truth was important to the men who were there, many of whom complained to us that their deeds had been revised for the sake of public relations. In a larger sense, it was values such as truth and justice for which World War II was fought, not half-truths and orchestrated sentiment.

[Reverend Joe]

That was a really good story. Thanks for sharing it.
Also:

one question, why did the US sent 'boys' to Iwo Jima? Didnt it have well trained soldiers and some veterans? Was it pressed for manpower? just curious.

Because our marines were made almost entirely of boys, not to mention the Army. The US had very few standing armed forces at the time, with the exception of the ever-demanding navy, and the last war the US had been engaged in was the first World War, so all the veterans would have been in their late 30's at the earliest. Just about the only people in the military who weren't boys were in the officer staff, so all we had to send were boys. All things considered, they fought very well.

And you thought Hippies couldn't be patriotic.