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Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

I just watched a segment of This Week In History.

They talked about the fact that Joe Rosenthal took a photo of the 2nd flag raising on Iwo. and what a travesty of justice it was for the 1st group of men that are now ignored, and that the History Channel will right a wrong here and now!

But they create a huge gaffe when talking about the Rosenthal shot....They set the scene up by talking to a witness. The motion picture photographer had just crossed in front of Joe and asked if he was in his way. Joe said no, but before he could say anything more the Motog said, "hey it's going up!" and Joe swung and snapped.

They recreated this moment by shooting a close up of a man (actually just his belly) in uniform with a camera and at the moment the witness said Joe "snapped" they snapped the camera.

The trouble is .... it was a stinkin' Rolleicord!!!

They even show Joe in a vintage photo with his Speed Graphic.

RichS · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 5:33 am Post subject:

Justice and history are rarely true or authentic...

My father was at that flag raising right from the initial setup when they chose the men out of the group to pose with the flag. Including pulling the last man in line out because having an Indian in the shot would be better PR!

Oddly enough, what kind of camera was taking the shot was the last thing on his mind....

But it's nice to know that some people are trying to straighten things out, at least a little bit...

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glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

I, too, saw that program. I just about fell out of my chair when I saw that camera. It is a very sad thing that the fellows who put up the first flag got the treatment they did. The whole thing was a travesty, in my mind, even if it was done to boost the morale of the home folks. How many of you remember the song that the late Johnny Cash wrote and recorded in the 50's about the fate of the Indian, Ira Hayes?

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"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

alecj · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 853 Location: Alabama

The guys in the first group may think it was a "travesity", but actually the way they were treated was just a result of the "fog of war". No one intentionally slighted them. Rosenthal's super photo resulted in a historical event pounced upon by the press and military for propaganda purposes [remember, they were anticipating a long war including the invasion of the home islands. The second group because famous mainly because "they were there", but Rosenthal certainly had nothing to do with what was done with his shot. He had no idea what he had since his film pack was flown to a rear area for processing, then given to the AP, all before he ever saw the cropped photo.

For the facts, see "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley.

FYI, that camera is now in the Eastman House collection.