PFC Ray Jacobs, USMC, R.I.P.
I'm sure that many Americans know the story of the two flag raising's Iwo Jima by U.S. Marines on February 19, 1945.
One of the Marines that day was PFC Raymond Jacobs, F Company Radioman, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, who was part of the first patrol to top Mt. Suribachi and raise the American flag. However, because the flag was too small and could not be seen by Marines landing on the beaches below, it was later replaced by a larger one. The photo of that flag raising has become one of the most recognizable images of WWII.
The official caption for the photo above reads:
1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier with Platoon Sergeant Ernest I. Thomas, Jr. (both seated), PFC James Michels (in foreground with carbine), Sergeant Henry O. Hansen (standing, wearing soft cap), Corporal Charles W. Lindberg (standing, extreme right), on Mount Suribachi at the first flag raising.
However, Jacobs has consistently disputed these identifications, insisting that he is, in fact, the Marine with the radio on his back. Here's his account.
Problems with identifying the Marines (in both photos) aside, there can be no mistake that each of these men volunteered, took an oath and carried a rifle on one of the bloodiest chunks of Earth that U.S. troops have ever seen. Some never made it off of that island alive, while others drank themselves to death years later, wracked with guilt.
PFC Ray Jacobs died today. He was 84 years old.
Rest in peace, brother.
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