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April 28, 2013
World War II Veteran who provided flag on Iwo Jima dead at 90
World War II Veteran who provided flag on Iwo Jima dead at 90
LOS ANGELES – A World War II veteran who provided the flag in the famous flag-raising on Iwo Jima has died. Alan Wood was 90.
Wood's son, Steven, says his father died April 18 of natural causes at his Sierra Madre home.
Wood was in charge of communications on a landing ship on Iwo Jima's shores when a Marine asked him for the biggest flag that he could find. Wood handed him a flag he had found in Pearl Harbor.
Five Marines and a Navy Corpsman later raised the flag on Mount Suribachi as Allied forces struggled to capture the Japanese-held island. The stirring moment was captured in an iconic image by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
Steven Wood says his father was always humbled by his small role in the historic moment.
After five days of fighting to capture the Japanese-held island, U.S. forces had managed to scale Mount Suribachi to hoist an American flag.
Wood happened to have a 37-square-foot flag he had found months before in a Pearl Harbor Navy depot. .
Five Marines and a Navy Corpsman later raised that flag in a stirring moment captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.
Steven Wood says his father was always humbled by his small role in the historic moment.
In a 1945 letter to a Marine general who asked for details about the flag, Wood wrote: "The fact that there were men among us who were able to face a situation like Iwo where human life is so cheap, is something to make humble those of us who were so very fortunate not to be called upon to endure such hell."
In its story on Wood's death, the Los Angeles Times reported that over the years others have claimed that they provided the flag, but retired Marine Col. Dave Severance, who commanded the company that took Mount Suribachi, said in an interview last week that it was Wood.
"I have a file of more than 60 people who claim to have had something to do with the flags," he said from his home in La Jolla, Calif.
Wood went on to work as technical artist and spokesman at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge.
His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1985. Besides his son, Wood was survived by three grandchildren.
Wild Thing's comment...............
R.I.P. Alan Wood and thank you.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 28, 2013 12:55 AM
Comments
There are so few WWII vets left now. Thank goodness they were prolific in writing about tyheir service. I grew up reading stories of WWII and still do.
Posted by: TomR,armed in Texas at April 28, 2013 11:34 AM
Both of my parents served in WWII. Both have passed. My Mom who served in the WACS was 93. Most are now approaching their 90s. We need to show our respects while we still can..
Posted by: Willy at April 28, 2013 01:37 PM
