US Marines crouching behind hillside roc US Marines crouching behind hillside rock cover, blowing up cave connected to Japanese blockhouse in WWII action on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands. (Photo by W. Eugene Smith/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images) (W. Eugene Smith/The LIFE Picture Collection via )
American Marines aboard landing craft headed for the IWO JIMA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 19: American Marines aboard landing craft headed for the invasion of Iwo Jima. (Photo by US Marine Corps/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images) (US Marine Corps/The LIFE Picture Collection via )
Iwo Jima Under Fire A Photograph from a US Fighter Plane Dropping Bombs on Iwo Jima, circa 1944. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images) (Fotosearch/Getty Images)
Fighting Marines 19th February 1945: American marines storming the beaches of Iwo Jima, dragging mobile artillery with them. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) (Keystone/Getty Images)
Crewmen fighting fires on deck of CV-3 U Crewmen fighting fires on deck of CV-3 USS Saratoga which was badly damaged & set ablaze after being hit several times by Japanese bomber planes & kamikaze attacks off island of Iwo Jima. (Photo by Time Life Pictures/US Navy/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images) (Time Life Pictures/The LIFE Picture Collection via )
Harvester Trucks at Iwo Jima. Photograph of International harvest trucks at Iwo Jima after navy barrage rockets hit. Dated 1945. (Photo by: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty)
Ship Arrives At Iwo Jima (Original Caption) 3/5/1945- Iwo Jima, Japan: An LSM, with its bow open to the beach, disgorges its cargo of supplies on the Iwo Jima beachhead on Feb 21, 1945. Amtracs and ducks swim in alongside and then climb up on shore, while Marines aid in the unloading process (center) or rest in foxholes (top.) (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
U.S. Marines On The Beach U.S. Marines lying on the beach of Iwo Jima bombarded by Japanese artillery. Iwo Jima, February 1945 (Photo by Mondadori via Getty Images) (Mondadori Portfolio/Mondadori via Getty Images)
The Pacific War, 1945. American Marines With Japanese Flags At Iwo Jima JAPAN - FEBRUARY 01: After February 1945, date when the island of Iwo Jima was taken by the Americans during the Pacific War, American marines show the Japanese flags which they took from the enemy when they conquered the island. Since February 23, 1945, American soldiers were involved in a fierce battle to capture the island which was an ideal trampoline from which to launch B-29 bomber raids against Japan. During the war, this island was one of the Japanese air bases. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Searching For Land Mines In a taped-off area that marks a future track, a trio of US Marines probe for land mines in the loose volcanic ash that leads from the beach, Iwo Jima, 1943. The track will be used by supporting vehicles on the drive inland. (Photo by USMC/Interim Archives/Getty Images) (Interim Archives/Getty Images)
World War Two A US marine burrowed into a shallow foxhole during conflict at the edge of Motoyama Airfield at the Battle of Iwo Jima, World War Two, Japan, 1945. (Photo by US Marine Corps/Getty Images) (FPG/Getty Images)
Marines Shell Japanese Positions (Original Caption) Marines shell Japanese positions on Iwo Jima during World War II. Undated Photograph. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
US Fourth Division 19th February 1945: United States Fourth Division Marines take cover from enemy fire on the shores of Iwo Jima during World War II, Japan. A US battleship and amphibious vehicles are docked on the beach. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Marines land on Iwo Jima. The Second Battalion, Twenty-Seventh Marines land on Iwo Jima by B. Campbell (Marine Corps) 1945 World war Two. (Photo by: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty)
US soldiers unload supplies from Coast Guard manne JAPAN - FEBRUARY 17: US soldiers unload supplies from Coast Guard manned landing craft along Futatsune Beach shortly after Marines made the initial landings to oppose Japanese forces occupying the island. (Photo by US Coast Guard/US Coast Guard/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images) (US Coast Guard/The LIFE Picture Collection via )
Marine Advancement On Iwo Jima (Original Caption) Marines advance from the beach on Iwo Jima toward the airstrip and were bitterly contested by Japanese fighters hidden in Caves. Picture shows two privates with using flame-throwers at the defenses that are blocking the way to MT. Suribachi. Left to right: PVT. Richard Klatt, and PF. W. Woegeli. Undated photo circa 1940s. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Marine In Iwo Jima Foxhole Inland shot taken at 0900, D-Day plus 1, Iwo Jima, February 20, 1945. Marine in foxhole. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) (PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
Soldier in Dugout Reading Letter (Original Caption) Mail brings smiles to a Marine in a front line foxhole on Iwo Jima. With his rifle close to him for instant use, he reads a stack of just received letters. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Flag raising on Iwo Jima. Flag raising on Iwo Jima. Left to right: Pvt 1st class Ira H. Hayes; Pvt 1st class Franklin Sousley, (KIA); Sgt Michael Stank, (KIA), Pharmacist Mate 2/c John H Bradley; Pvt 1st class Rene A. Gagnon and Cpl Harlon H Block, (KIA). (Photo by: Photo 12/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty)