Flags Of Iwo Jima: The True Story

The photograph of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in the final months of World War II is arguably the most famous photo ever made. It is the most published of photos and it is an enduring icon of the American experience. The picture has inspired four motion pictures, numerous books and articles, the monument at Arlington National Cemetery, and more. Made by San Francisco photographer Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press, the picture is that rare image that directly changed the way Americans thought and acted. It inspired the Seventh (and final) War Bond drive of World War II. The picture, however, was controversial and has remained so over the decades, victim of misunderstandings and the target of those who would diminish its impact. Join Hal Buell, veteran Associated Press photo editor and author, as he discusses the story of the photograph and traces the lifelong journey of Rosenthal and his remarkable picture, its trials and its tribulations. In this presentation of more than 100 photographs and video clips Buell tells the full, true story of the photo, the battle of Iwo Jima, the photo's impact on World War II, and the photo's life as a lasting, patriotic symbol.
HAL BUELL
Photo Editor
Hal Buell has worked on assignment in more than thirty-five countries, and headed the Associated Press Photo Service for twenty-five years, supervising an international staff of 300 photographers. His career in news photography spanned the days of flash bulbs to the use of digital cameras, and many of the pictures of the last half of the 20th century crossed his desk. Buell is the author of more than a dozen books on news photography, including Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs; The Kennedy Brothers; and Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue, the story of the Iwo Jima flag raising.
Monday, February 13
7:30 pm
Cubberley Auditorium, School of Education
FREE; no registration is required