A hero lost, media mistakes made

Matthew Hoy
By Matthew Hoy on February 4, 2008

Another of the Greatest Generation has died.

Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last surviving member of the group of Marines photographed during the original U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, has died at age 82.

Jacobs died January 29 of natural causes at a Redding hospital, his daughter, Nancy Jacobs, told The Associated Press.

Jacobs had spent his later years working to prove that he was the radio operator photographed looking up at an American flag as it was being raised by other Marines on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945.

Newspaper accounts from the time show he was on the mountain during the initial raising of a smaller American flag, though he had returned to his unit by the time the more famous AP photograph was taken of a second flag-raising later the same day.

Unfortunately, the headline on the story and the accompanying photograph leaves a lot to be desired.

This was not the "iconic" photo. A history lesson is in order for the editors over at CNN.com.

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