On February 19, 1945 United States Marines hit the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima. This was the deadliest battle of World War II. It was the first time in nearly two thousand years that an invading army had landed on Japanese soil. More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History. In 36 days of fighting there were 25,851 US casualties. Of these, 6,825 American boys were killed. All but 1,000 of the 22,000 Japanese died in the battle. Iwo became a symbol of the hardship of war at its bloodiest, of the hope of victory for the American cause, and of the character of the United States Marines. The victory had huge strategic significance for the war effort. By the end of the war, more than 2,400 B-29 bombers had made emergency landings on Iwo Jima.

But sixty years ago today, American soldiers under fire climbed their way to the top of Mt. Suribachi and planted a flag of hope which inspired not only the warriors on Iwo, but tens of millions of Americans.

The above image is of the first (and less famous) flag raising. The flag was placed by the heroic boys of Easy Company who had to date suffered 40% casualties. In the picture, Jim Michels holds the gun with (left to right) Hank Hansen, Louis Charlo, Boots Thomas, Harold Schrier and Chuck Lindberg behind. The photo was taken by Lou Lowery at 10 AM.

The above image became the most famous picture in the history of photography. It was not a posed shot. Photographer Joe Rosenthal did not even realize the significance of the picture at the time. But in one 400th of a second, the world would be changed.

This last weekend at the 60th anniversary celebration, I spoke to numerous survivors of Iwo Jima who watched with their own eyes the event captured in the Rosenthal image. They described it as the most inspiring moment of hope they had experienced in a brutal and seemingly endless battle that had even at this point captured so many of their brave comrades. This veteran told me he daily read his Bible, turning to the 23rd Psalm.

Thank you, fathers of Iwo Jima.