Iwo Jima: Charles Lindberg

1920-2007



On February 23, 1945, Corporal Charles Lindberg fired his flame-thrower into enemy tunnels on the desert island of Iwo Jima and with 5 other Marines fought their way to the top of Mt. Suribachi with instructions to raise a flag "if you get to the top"...3 of the men in this first flag-raising were among the 6,800+ U.S. soldiers killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima.



"Two of our men found this big, long pipe there," recalled Lindberg.  "We tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it.  Down below, the troops started to cheer, the ship's whistles went off, it was just something that you would never forget...it didn't last too long, because the enemy started coming out of the caves."

 



The first flag-raising was captured by Sgt. Lou Lowery, a Marine Corp photographer.  The flag was replaced with a much bigger flag about 4 hours later because the commanders worried someone would steal it as a souvenir.  Both flags are currently on display (on a rotating basis) at The National Museum of the Marine Corps. 

Joe Rosenthal's photo of the second flag-raising became one of the most memorable images of WWII and the inspiration for the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial aka "The Iwo Jima Memorial" in Arlington, Virginia.

 

After the war, Lindberg returned to his hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota and later moved to Richfield, Minnesota in 1951 and became an electrician.  "No one believed me," when he said he raised the first flag at Iwo Jima. "I was called a liar, it was terrible...it's important that people know what actually happened.  It was the truth. I mean, everyone says, Iwo Jima flag raising, they look at the other one, that's not right. It wasn't. That's what I say. But ain't good enough, I guess -- maybe that's what they think. Kinda hurts you. But I've talked a lot about this, I've argued a lot about it. I can always prove it, that's the thing."


Honoring All Veterans Memorial
Veterans Park - Richfield, Minnesota