Semper Fi, Joe
No event in the history of the Marine Corps characterizes he dedication and courage of Marines than the flag rasing on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima. The flag-raising that Joe Rosenthal captured on film was actually the second of that terrible and glorious day. It captured more than courage, though, but also everything that goes along with it: strength of character, loyalty, and hope. In Rosenthal's own words, it symbolized a "devotion to their country that those young men had, and the sacrifices they made."
While these things have lasting significance for the United States in general, it had particular significance to the Marine Corps. The Secretary of the Navy during World War II, James Forrestal, said, "The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years." However, that statement isn't entirely accurate.
As Rosenthal stated, it wasn't the photograph that defined the Marines. It was the Marines who defined the photograph. And they didn't decide to be courageous just at that moment. They were courageous because of the lives they cultivated over the years in a country of freedom and hope as well as the the training they endured to earn the title "Marine." However, without that photograph, there would be no record of it to pass on to the world and to future generations of Marines who could be inspired by the previous generation's example.
Rosenthal was more than just a photographer "at the right place and the right time." The place of carnage and death at Iwo Jima, I would offer, was anything but the "right" place or time for anyone. He took his life into his own hands when he decided to take that assignment in order to create a record of the valor that defined Marines. He was courageous in his own right, and he was loyal to America to the very end.
Sadly, that end came for him yesterday at the age of 94. His legacy lives on, though, in many forms, including the Marine Corps Memorial, and now the National Museum of the Marine Corps. His contribution and courage will never be forgotten as long as there is a Marine Corps.
Semper Fi, Joe. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
While these things have lasting significance for the United States in general, it had particular significance to the Marine Corps. The Secretary of the Navy during World War II, James Forrestal, said, "The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years." However, that statement isn't entirely accurate.
As Rosenthal stated, it wasn't the photograph that defined the Marines. It was the Marines who defined the photograph. And they didn't decide to be courageous just at that moment. They were courageous because of the lives they cultivated over the years in a country of freedom and hope as well as the the training they endured to earn the title "Marine." However, without that photograph, there would be no record of it to pass on to the world and to future generations of Marines who could be inspired by the previous generation's example.
Rosenthal was more than just a photographer "at the right place and the right time." The place of carnage and death at Iwo Jima, I would offer, was anything but the "right" place or time for anyone. He took his life into his own hands when he decided to take that assignment in order to create a record of the valor that defined Marines. He was courageous in his own right, and he was loyal to America to the very end.
Sadly, that end came for him yesterday at the age of 94. His legacy lives on, though, in many forms, including the Marine Corps Memorial, and now the National Museum of the Marine Corps. His contribution and courage will never be forgotten as long as there is a Marine Corps.
Semper Fi, Joe. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
posted by Cameron Beck at 6:50 AM
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