Significance of the Flag
- Marines pushed towards Mt. Suribachi.
- Fighting on the mountain was fierce, but the Marines eventually took it.
- Atop the mountain, a small flag was raised, but was taken down and a bigger flag was raised.
- The famous image was taken and sent back to the United States for printing.
- The image was used as propaganda to sell war bonds.
- The men that raised the flag were sent around the country to help sell the bonds.
- Treasury received $220 million in war bonds because of the photo
- Ira Hayes, one of the flag raisers, turned to alcohol after the war and was often jailed because of it.
- Hayes died at the age of 32 and was memorialized through songs and movies.
"Then Ira started drinkin' hard
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
Like you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk early one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes."
When Marines finally captured Mt. Suribachi, they raised a small flag to signify their victory. This flag was removed to make way for a much larger flag that could be seen from the beach down below. A photographer accompanied the men on the mountain and captured the world famous photo, but not before many retakes. The photo was sent back to America and turned into propaganda in order to sell war bonds for the last stretch of the war. The campaign was extremely successful and raised over $200 million. With the money the military received from this campaign, more money was able to be used towards the war effort. The soldiers that were recognized from the photo were sent back to America to go tour the country, but the other soldiers were killed in battle. Ira Hayes suffered from survivor's guilt and turned to alcohol. He died at 32. The events of the battle for the mountain, the tour and Ira's life after the war have been memorialized through songs, movies and statues.
- Fighting on the mountain was fierce, but the Marines eventually took it.
- Atop the mountain, a small flag was raised, but was taken down and a bigger flag was raised.
- The famous image was taken and sent back to the United States for printing.
- The image was used as propaganda to sell war bonds.
- The men that raised the flag were sent around the country to help sell the bonds.
- Treasury received $220 million in war bonds because of the photo
- Ira Hayes, one of the flag raisers, turned to alcohol after the war and was often jailed because of it.
- Hayes died at the age of 32 and was memorialized through songs and movies.
"Then Ira started drinkin' hard
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
Like you'd throw a dog a bone!
He died drunk early one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes."
When Marines finally captured Mt. Suribachi, they raised a small flag to signify their victory. This flag was removed to make way for a much larger flag that could be seen from the beach down below. A photographer accompanied the men on the mountain and captured the world famous photo, but not before many retakes. The photo was sent back to America and turned into propaganda in order to sell war bonds for the last stretch of the war. The campaign was extremely successful and raised over $200 million. With the money the military received from this campaign, more money was able to be used towards the war effort. The soldiers that were recognized from the photo were sent back to America to go tour the country, but the other soldiers were killed in battle. Ira Hayes suffered from survivor's guilt and turned to alcohol. He died at 32. The events of the battle for the mountain, the tour and Ira's life after the war have been memorialized through songs, movies and statues.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.