February 25, 1945
USMC 5th Division Marines grouped behind their Browning M1919 .30 calibre machine gun, display Japanese battle flags captured during the first few days of the bloody fight for Iwo Jima.
It was the men of the Fifth who fought their way to the top of Mount Suribachi to raise the American flag on the rim of the crater.
The 5th Division landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, southeast of Mount Suribachi. The division sustained heavy initial losses, so much so that by that afternoon, the 26th Marine Regiment had to be released as the division reserve.
On February 23, two American flags were raised on Mount Suribachi by members of the 28th Marine Regiment. The 5th Division would fight on Iwo Jima from February 19 until March 26 where they would sustain 2,482 killed in action, 19 missing in action, and 6,218 wounded in action. This was the highest casualty rate among the three Marine divisions involved in the invasion.
(U.S. Navy Official photograph)