On the morning of February 23, 1945, members of the 3rd Platoon, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division were ordered to climb and secure Mount Suribachi. After reaching the top, one Marine stood guard while the others raised the first American flag on Japanese soil. Ships' bells and whistles sounded and U.S. troops cheered when they saw the flag waving on the summit. Charles "Chuck" W. Lindberg, shown in his Marine flamethrower gear, was the longest-living member of the flag-raising platoon and lived in Richfield for more than 50 years after the war. He wanted the men of the first flag raising atop Mount Suribachi to be accurately honored, and he died on June 24, 2007, with only a vision of what that tribute would become.
