One of World War II's most famous and lasting images is the photograph of U.S. Marines raising a flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Thousands of Americans died to gain control of this tiny island.
Editor’s note: Feb. 19, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Iwo Jima. In February 2020, Military Times interviewed Marine Corps veteran and Iwo Jima survivor Don Harris.