Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Joe Rosenthal passed away a week ago at the age of 94. His Feb. 23, 1945, photograph of six Marines victoriously raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the hard-fought and critical battle of Iwo Jima became an icon of bravery and sacrifice not only for the World War II generation, but for those which have followed.
Originally rejected from military service due to poor eyesight, his camera?s eye was sharp enough to capture the heroic image whose value endures. His perseverance to serve his country boosted morale during a dark hour of the war. The Marine Corps Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, based on the famous photograph, is a stirring monument to all who have served our country.
Harry Truman once noted, “The only thing new in the world is the history you don?t know.” Many people today do not realize that the Battle of Iwo Jima was critical, because the Japanese government had planned to fight to the last civilian.
They intended to do so despite the fact that Allied leaders warned Japanese leaders in late July 1945 that they should expect “utter and complete destruction,” unless they surrendered. American casualties alone were predicted at 1 million, should the Allies invade Japan. Other Allied casualties were projected at more than 500,000. Taking Okinawa and Iwo Jima were necessary to enable the Enola Gay to successfully complete its mission ? sparing untold American lives as a result.
When the war was over, American veterans came home and, for the most part, quietly got on with their lives. On Sunday, the 13th of August, another member of what has been termed “The Greatest Generation” passed away.
A lifelong Baltimorean (and proud of it), his name was Rene J. Gunning, and he was my father-in-law. Like millions of other men and women of hisgeneration, he returned from the carnage and horrors of war and simply took a job and raised a family.
During World War II, he served as a Naval communications officer in North Africa, and continued to serve his country in the Naval Reserve until his retirement.
He never mentioned to me that he achieved the rank of lieutenant commander, nor did he ever toot his own horn. Like many of his ilk, he welcomed his professional retirement not as an opportunity to relax, but as a season in which he could increase volunteering in his community. The concept of giving back to others, of helping the less fortunate and a belief that, though flawed, as all human institutions are, ours is still the best form of government going, permeates the minds and hearts of average Americans through the ages.
Over the years, I have interviewed countless veterans. The vast majority shun accolades, pointing to their fallen or wounded comrades as the real heroes. They love our country and are proud of the positive elements it embodies. Veterans we meet in our daily life deserve our thanks ? and that includes our men and women serving today.
Even if you do not agree with the conflicts in which our government is engaged, you cannot deny that our personnel still embody quintessential virtues of the American character: a sense of duty, a lack of hubris and a desire for freedom for all people.
Brooke Gunning is the author of several regional best-sellers, including “Maryland Thoroughbred Racing,” “Baltimore?s Halcyon Days” and “Towson and the Villages of Ruxton and Lutherville.” She currently is at work on her next book.
