Photo with heart: Moment at Iwo Jima said much about heroism, patriotism

Most people know the story behind the famous photo at Iwo Jima. The group of servicemen struggling to hoist an American flag on top of the hill said much about patriotism, courage and the men who had fought so hard there and in the many fields of battle.

This weekend, the man who took that photo died. Many people probably did not even know his name, although the image he left us will remain part of American history forever.

Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal was 94 when he died. He won a Pulitzer Prize for the photo he took that day during World War II.

His image captured the moment so poignantly and so completely that it might be hard to imagine the danger he himself faced as he snapped that now-famous shot.

The men and women who bring home the photos and the stories of the heroes and tragedies of war are keepers of the nation’s historical record. They make the heroes and the victims real for many Americans.

We might not remember Rosenthal’s name years from now — many couldn’t tell you today who shot that photo. But his image will forever say much about the heroes who fight and those who are there to tell their stories.

Published in Editorials on August 21, 2006 11:25 AM