'Flags of Our Fathers' Stays True to History

Clint Eastwood's new film, Flags of Our Fathers, portrays the flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II and the aftermath of that event.

Photographer Joe Rosenthal recorded that iconic moment on Feb. 23, 1945. But his photo actually captures the second time the men raised the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi.

The taking of the Pacific island claimed nearly 7,000 American lives, with more than 19,000 injured and 46 missing.

Chuck Melson is chief historian of the U.S. Marine Corps. He says Eastwood's film is historically true to events, including its depiction of the war-bond drive, the spectacular scenes of ships coming to Iwo Jima, and the congestion on the beach during the invasion.

"They could come ashore, but once they hit that black volcanic sand, they couldn't move," he says.

"Tanks and jeeps got stuck, and the Marines themselves were slipping and sliding and really couldn't dig into the beach, so they were wide open to Japanese guns and shellfire."

Melson says the film accurately represents the dangers faced by Navy medics and acknowledges that the U.S. flag was raised and photographed several times -- and that the image that persists today is that of the second flag-raising.

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