Many recognize the Joe Rosenthal photo that captured the moment when five Marines and one Navy Corpsman raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima. 

Few remember the bloody battle by land and by sea nor the number of lives lost before and after that February day when the flag was raised during a battle that raged until March 25, 1945, and helped lead to the end of World War II. With the current unrest in the Middle East, it is important to remember this past history.