2012
Momentous WWII Iwo Jima Flag Raising Photograph is Not the Original
A Leavenworth, Kansas man still holds onto the original WWII Iwo Jima flag raising photograph. At the end of WWII, the United States had one picture burned into their memory. Even if you were not even alive for the war, you most likely are aware of the picture. The flag raising at Iwo Jima became an extremely popular event after being captured by the photographer Joe Rosenthal. Since then, the photograph has won the Pulitzer Prize, was reproduced on the U.S. postage stamp and a bronze sculpture was constructed to capture the moment. However, what most people do not know is the famous flag raising was not a “first.” It was actually a restaged event and Art Jahn, a retired supermarket operator from Kansas, has a copy of a picture of the very first flag to fly over Mt. Suribachi. Jahn was a sergeant with Group Operations, 414th Fighter Group, 13th Air Force during the war and arrived in Iwo Jima shortly after the flag-raising. At the time, GIs were notorious for gathering war souvenirs like enemy flags, firearms, uniforms, and even photographs. While on the island, a Marine approached Jahn and asked him if he was interested in buying … 
