On This Day in History: Flag Raising on Iwo Jima
Gift of Jamestown Historical Society
Today marks seventy years since Associated Press photographer Joe
Rosenthal photographed five Marines and one Navy corpsman raising a U.S. flag
atop Mt. Suribachi. Rosenthal did not realize at the time that he had just
captured one of the iconic images of the twentieth century, but its powerful
symbolism and broad appeal soon became apparent. In May 1945, the Treasury
Department began its seventh and final war loan drive. Americans had already
contributed nearly $110 billion in previous loan drives over three and a half
years of war. With Germany surrendering just a week before the seventh loan
kicked off, officials worried that many Americans would not feel the need to
buy more government bonds. As with previous drives, the government enlisted the
aid of artists to create advertisements that would inspire ordinary citizens
and encourage them to give generously.
Terrain model of Iwo Jima used to plan for the invasion.
Mt. Suribachi is visible in the lower left corner.
Gift of Mrs. Charlotte Kassal
C.C. Beall (1892-1967) was a commercial illustrator
who also drew comics and book covers. Born in Saratoga, Wyoming, Beall studied
at the Pratt Institute and Art Students League in New York. He primarily worked
in watercolor and belonged to the American Water Color Society as well as the
Society of Illustrators. Beall used Rosenthal’s photograph as the basis for his
poster which he completed for the seventh loan drive. He chose the words, “Now
– all together,” to match the sense of collective patriotism invoked by the
famous image.
In spite of fears, the seventh loan drive raised $26 billion, more than
any drive before it. The government even ran one more drive in October 1945
after the war was officially over. This final campaign succeeded in raising $21
billion, bringing the total amount of money raised to $156.4 billion.
Rob Doane
Naval War College Museum Curator
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