'Hey, the flag's up on the mountain.'

71 years ago today Joe Rosenthal snapped that famous photo and didn't know for sure what he had.  5th Division movie cameraman Sgt. Bill Genaust captured it on film.  This was the second flag raising, the first was a smaller flag replaced by this larger one later in the day.

71 years ago today. . .

The Marines landed on Iwo Jima 19FEB45.

World War Two is called "The Last Just War."  It has been famously said to have been fought by "The Greatest Generation."  If these are both true, then we must intentionally look back and reflect on the men who fought, bled and died for the freedom of the world.  Our entire world is a product of that victory.

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It is important as a nation, as a society that we remember those moments in our history.  The what we did, where it happened, why we did it and how we did it.  Iwo Jima is iconic in our memories of the Pacific War.  It is not a battle of maneuver and finesse, it is a battle of attrition.  A slugfest against a prepared enemy determined to kill as many Americans as possible to influence America public opinion.  Later enemies used similar methods to victory against us.  The flag raising on Suribachi captured on film by Joe Rosenthal, published so widely and used as a rallying point for a War not yet over and a cost not yet paid in blood and treasure.

Happy Birthday Mr. President.

It's Presidents Day, or should we say President's Day?  It depends on where you are.  The federal holiday was originally established to commemorate the birthday of George Washington, but like all these days it has been diluted from its origin and migrated to fit a different need.  George Washington was born February 22nd.

Poster circa 1890.

It is George Washington who established the precedent that he be referred to as "Mr. President", foregoing anything that smacked of royalty.  He was the original action hero.  The Journal of the American Revolution has a wonderful post about the General up this morning The Carefree and Kindhearted General Washington.

Happy birthday to George Washington, soldier, statesman, leader and father of our country.