The last surviving member of the group of men immortalized in one of the most memorable photographs of the 20th Century has died:
REDDING, California (AP) — Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last surviving member of the group of Marines photographed during the original U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, has died at age 82.
Jacobs died January 29 of natural causes at a Redding hospital, his daughter, Nancy Jacobs, told The Associated Press.
Jacobs had spent his later years working to prove 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 February 23, 1945.
Newspaper accounts from the time show he was on the mountain during the initial raising of a smaller American flag, though he had returned to his unit by the time the more famous AP photograph was taken of a second flag-raising later the same day.
The radioman’s face isn’t fully visible in the first photograph taken of the first flag-raising by Lou Lowery, a photographer for Leatherneck magazine, leading some veterans to question Jacobs’ claim. However, other negatives from the same roll of film show the radioman is Jacobs, said retired Col. Walt Ford, editor of Leatherneck.
“It’s clearly a front-on face shot of Ray Jacobs,” Ford said.
Farewell Good Soldier, and a job well done.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Semper Fi!
February 5th, 2008 at 12:53 am
A sad day.
A hero died!
February 5th, 2008 at 1:03 am
A day that shall go down in our hearts. We all shall miss you my great hero. The last of both flag raising’s to die. The time of our great men has come to a end for that period of time.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:55 am
[...] January 29th, Raymond Jacobs, the last surviving member of the group of men who raised the flag on Mount Surabachi, died at the age of 82. [...]