Mount Suribachi, which is known by most Americans as the location of the famous raising of the American flag during World War II, epitomizes for many Marines what it is to be a Marine. Mount Suribachi was claimed after four vigorous days of fighting during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The battle saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific theater and took place from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945.