• 1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, tomorrow 1945, photographed by Joe Rosenthal:

Star-Spangled Mystery: What Became of Lost Iwo Jima Flag-Raising Photos?

Military photographers George Burns and Louis Burmeister claimed they took Iwo Jima flag raising photos but all the world saw was the iconic Joe Rosenthal shot.



This photo taken by Army Pfc. George Burns at the summit of Mount Suribachi is nearly identical to the so-called "gung-ho" photo shot by the AP's Joe Rosenthal.

May 30, 2016, 4:39 AM EDT / Updated May 30, 2016, 6:14 AM EDT
By Corky Siemaszko

History has not been kind to Army Pfc. George Burns or Marine Sgt. Louis Burmeister.

Both military photographers were on Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945, when six U.S. warriors raised the Stars and Stripes to alert the world that the bloody battle of Iwo Jima was all but won. And both claimed they took their own versions of the iconic shot that won Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize.

That’s where military history becomes mystery. The photos they said they shot have never been seen by the public and may be forever lost. Or perhaps they never existed, which is the Marine Corps’ explanation.



Photo taken by Army Pfc. George Burns shows the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, hours before the raising of the flag captured by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal.George Burns / Courtesy of Dave Wood

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Army Pfc. George Burns on assignment during the war.Courtesy of Dave Wood

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U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi in the Puliltzer Prize winning photo.Joe Rosenthal / AP file

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This photo taken by Army Pfc. George Burns at the summit of Mount Suribachi is nearly identical to the so-called "gung-ho" photo shot by the AP's Joe Rosenthal.

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The first flag raised by U.S. troops on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi in this photo taken by Marine Sgt. Louis Burmeister.Courtesy of Parker Albee

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AP photographer Joe Rosenthal, left, and Army Pfc. George Burns pose under the second flag raised on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi.Courtesy of Parker Albee

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Corky Siemaszko Corky.Siemaszko@nbcuni.com
Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.