OOPS -- WRONG FLAG

In an otherwise commendable report tonight, the usually reliable Brian Williams of NBC-TV gave the clear impression that a flag owned by the U.S. Marine Corps is the same flag depicted in the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. In fact, the Marines' flag is the first one planted on the top of Mount Suribachi, which was deemed too small by Marine commanders. They ordered it to be replaced by one that "every son-of-a-bitch on this island" could see as the Marines pressed their bloody offensive to seize control of the patch of volcanic rock. The original flag was taken down and carefully preserved by Marines convinced of its historical value; the second flag, the one in the picture, was blown to bits in the high winds atop the hill.

The NBC report included the fact that Joe Rosenthal is still alive and the remarkable fact that he has the original negative of his picture, surely one of the most valuable photographic artifacts in the world.

The writer's father was a photographic technician on the USS YORKTOWN, which supported the Iwo Jima operation. Dad claimed to recall seeing Rosenthal on board the ship. Dad came home from the war with a copy of the famous photo signed by Rosenthal. It appears to have been shot from a copy with Rosenthal's signature on it. But the picture itself was never on the YORKTOWN since it was actually developed at a base on Guam. I asked Dad how he got the picture. He said he didn't remember. Today it hangs in my study as a reminder of the fact that freedom and liberty don't come cheap.