On this day sixty-one years ago, the United States Marines from 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Joe Rosenthal’s iconic picture, providentially snapped at just the right millisecond, gave hope to millions. It is still the most famous image in history. Less famous, but equally telling are the series of shots taken on Suribachi that day by Marine photographer James Lowery.

Last year, I interviewed dozens of former Marines and Navy Corpsmen, men now in their eighties, who watched the first and second flag-raising on Suribachi. (Their compelling story is documented in the Vision Forum film, The League of Grateful Sons.) Sixty years had passed for these men when I interviewed them, but the emotions of that moment still evoked tears. Each of them told a different story of what the event meant to them. But there was one common denominator — hope!

The sight of the flag marked an emotional turn in the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history. For a few moments, the horror of war stopped and tens of thousands of men on land and sea shouted and cheered. The same wind that blew Old Glory on Suribachi was carrying a spirit of hope throughout the ranks. Surely, victory was near.

Thus it is with all timely flag raisings. In times past, flags were referred to as “standards.” Maintaining a standard in battle meant everything.

Of course, not all battles are fought with guns. Often, the greatest battles are fought for the hearts and souls of men. The family is the first field of battle in the war for souls. Parents have a mission to fight for the souls of their children. All true fathers crave the the souls of their children for the Lord, and will relentlessly fight toward that end. For this reason, every father who raises a holy standard in his home is a source of hope to the bride and children the Lord has given to him.

George Washington (whose birthday was yesterday) understood the necessity of raising standards, even when it is unpopular to do so. His words indicate that he had a mature understanding of the sovereignty of God. Regarding the raising of standards, he wrote:

If to please the people we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.