Last Iwo Jima flag-raising soldier dies

Posted at 4:39 PM on February 4, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)

The last Marine involved in the first photograph of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima has died. Raymond Jacobs died in California at 82. He outlived, by about 7 months, Charles W. Lindberg of Richfield, who died last summer at 86.

Both spent much of their lives proving their presence in the photographs, as if their participation in the hell of Iwo Jima wasn't validation enough. Mr. Lindberg worked to educate Americans that it was his patrol, not the one in the famous Joe Rosenthal photo, that raised the first flag.

And Mr. Jacobs spent a generous amount of time convincing people that he was the radio operator photographed looking up at an American flag as it was being raised by other Marines on Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.

Lindberg is standing on the far right. Jacobs contended he's the radio operator.

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