Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue
by By Buell, Hal
Category: Photography , History

It remains the U.S. Marine Corps.' bloodiest battle. Fifty years later, it is A.P. photographer Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer-winning photo of Marines raising the American flag on Mt. Suribachi that keeps the memory of Iwo Jima alive.  Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue is a full account of the battle itself and of Rosenthal's ten days on Iwo Jima as Marines fought against a murderous Japanese onslaught. It recounts the enduring legacy of "the photograph"-most recently in the historic picture of three firemen raising the American flag at the site of the World Trade Center, recalling Rosenthal's timeless image of steely resolve in the face of tyranny.