February 23, 1945: During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S.
Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th
Regiment of the 5th Division took the crest of Mount Suribachi,
the island’s highest peak and most strategic position, and raised
the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them
and recorded the event.

Americans fighting for control of Suribachi’s slopes cheered the
raising of the flag, and several hours later more Marines headed
up to the crest with a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, a photographer
with the Associated Press, met them along the way and recorded
the raising of the second flag along with a Marine  photographer
and a motion-picture cameraman.

Louis R. Lowery
(July 24, 1916 – April 15, 1987)

The Marine Corps was founded November 10, 1775 to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels and was responsible for the
security of the ship and its crew by conducting offensive and
defensive combat during boarding actions and defending the
ship’s officers from mutiny. As of 2017, the USMC has around
182,000 active duty members and some 38,500 personnel in
reserve.

Semper fidelis ("always faithful")