Some four or five days after the first landings on Iwo Jima the fighting was still fierce. There was no doubt we would capture the island. We had too many men and almost uncontested airpower, but our casualties were high. I was still manning phones, day and night, positioned where I could see our boats bringing back the wounded.
Someone yelled, "the flag is up on Mt. Suribachi1!" We fought for binoculars and I got to see the flag waving defiantly. A few minutes later the flag was down, but soon it was up again. We didn't know at that time that the flag was raised twice to allow Joe Rosenthal to take pictures, one of the flag raising that became so famous.
Rosenthal traveled to Iwo on our ship, the USS Pickens. I never met him but he became friends with some shipmates, including Mike White, ship photographer and father of John White. John has provided information on the Pickens to relatives of those who served aboard the ship.
A boat division officer showed me a newspaper with a picture of his boat, PA 90 Boat 10. I believe it was the first picture sent to the states by Rosenthal.
Someone yelled, "the flag is up on Mt. Suribachi1!" We fought for binoculars and I got to see the flag waving defiantly. A few minutes later the flag was down, but soon it was up again. We didn't know at that time that the flag was raised twice to allow Joe Rosenthal to take pictures, one of the flag raising that became so famous.
Rosenthal traveled to Iwo on our ship, the USS Pickens. I never met him but he became friends with some shipmates, including Mike White, ship photographer and father of John White. John has provided information on the Pickens to relatives of those who served aboard the ship.
A boat division officer showed me a newspaper with a picture of his boat, PA 90 Boat 10. I believe it was the first picture sent to the states by Rosenthal.
Hi Roy.
ReplyDeleteSlight correction - dad's name was MARK White.
Thanks again for more notes from your time on the Pickens.
John