Joe Rosenthal, a 33-year-old Associated Press photographer at the time, took the iconic picture of raising the American flag during the bloody World War II battle of Iwo Jima.
The photo boosted the spirits of the nation and became an enduring symbol of pride for the United States and the Corps.
Does Rosenthal deserve a U.S. warship to be named for him, for that contribution?
Some veterans in the Bay Area think so.
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They are former combat correspondents and Rosenthal was a member of their association during his long follow-on career at the San Francisco Chronicle, which first wrote about this effort.
They’ve started a petition drive to convince the Secretary of the . The website is ussjoe.org.
Their argument is that — aside from becoming possibly the most reproduced photograph in American history — the image anchored the 1945 Seventh War Bond drive, raising $26 billion for the war effort.
The photo also graced a U.S. postage stamp that sold 137 million copies.
The Corps embraced Rosenthal and one of their own, and the Department of the awarded him the Distinguished Public Service Award.
Rosenthal died in 2006 at age 94.
jen.steele@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jensteeley
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