Conversation so far:
Was Ira Hayes one of the people who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?
The raising of the second American flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945.
How many people were involved with that?
Hayes's squad leader, Sergeant Michael Strank, was ordered to take three Marines from his rifle squad in Second Platoon.

Question: How were the three Marines chosen for this duty?
Self-contained rewrite: How were the three Marines chosen for the duty of raising the flag on Iwo Jima?