Tragic as it is, I learned something from Ebert and Roeper this morning. Apparently, the famous Iwo Jima photograph was a media spectacle, the reenactment of an event that had already happened.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_the_Flag_on_Iwo_Jima
A bit earlier today, I stumbled upon this:
http://www.glumbert.com/media/atheist
which discusses the injection of god into our society, the thrust of which occurred during the Cold War while we fought the 'godless' Communists.
More on my mind, but time is fleeting. Add your own...

Hold the phone there ho, the wiki entry says that the controversy was unfounded...the staged picture occurred after this famous image had already been published.

The video...i second all that was said. I hope you religious freaks find it educational.

And I always thought it was staged.

Go figure.

Stinks, there's large disagreement, apparently. Linked from the wiki is another site entirely about the battle which has a photograph of the first flag being pulled while the 2nd goes up. Apparently in an uncropped version of the photo, something like this is visible [I can't find it now because the internet is at times, impossible. However, look to the links at the bottom and you'll see some references.].
I recall reading a book about this sort of thing when I was young, but I can't remember squirrel about it now. Maybe amazon...
anyway, post away.

Tally,
It was "staged" a week or so later.
This has been known for years.
I have an account in Flemmingsburg Kentucky who's Granddaddy was one of those brave men who faught for our wonderful country.

Unfortunately he was killed by a Japanese sniper during the last week or so of WW2 right before he was due to go home to his family.

What is the point of your thread?

Please explain to us all....

As I mentioned in the first post, I was surprised by what I heard this morning. Because today is Saturday and I have nothing else to do with my life, I then stumbled upon the Glumbert link, probably via crooks and liars, but I cannot confirm that. I found the two sources related and provocative, and so I decided to post and see if perhaps others knew of similar examples of deconstructed american mythology they might be interested in sharing with the group. Thus, my thought process.

My thanks to your account's grand father. It was a war worth fighting.
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p.s. Edit: I am interpreting defensiveness in your post, even though you know seem to know something of what I'm talking about here. Confused I am.

Last edited: Sunday, October 08, 2006 at 1:18:15 AM

^ Sorry Tally, but what is this "American Mythology" you speak of.
Call me stupid, but I don't see where you're coming from. :)

Yes, I little bit defensive I was.
Not now.

What the :'( 8( 8o :o are yo talking about? Lol

Dare I say, um, 'intellectual' curiosity? How is this a problem.

You want the truth, here it is. Right from my freinds grandfather's mouth:

The seargant who carried the flag up got hit. One of the other men took it up for him. I of course had been hit in the leg and was 50 feet from the hill. Anyway, these two gent took that little flag and put it up on the hill. The veiw was excelent, and if my leg hadn't been hit, I would have jumped up and down. About half an hour later, two boys from who knows where comes up with our good ol' full size. By this time the sun was starting to set, and it gave the flag and all the boys who were putting it up some sort of glow. I knew then we had more hope than ever."

He died two years ago, but I will never forget that talk with him. So yes, the picture everyone sees is somewhat of a media spectacle, but it still doesn't make it less real. It still sybolizes a time when crazy americans would and could do anything for their country.

Another picture was taken after that with the same soldiers and same flag. It was a bit windier that day, but besides that, it is the same picture. He couldn't even tell the two apart.