Joe Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 - ) was a American photographer, who received the Pulitzer Prize for his World War II iconic portrait of American troops raising the flag on Mount Suribachi after the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Rejected by the army as a photographer because of poor eyesight, Rosenthal joined the Associated Press and followed the Marines in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the war. His picture of six marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi became one of the best known photographs of the war.
According to some accounts, the photograph is actually a reenactment of the event. When the flag was first raised, a Japanese survivor of the battle tossed two grenades at the soldiers, destroying the original flag. This scene was captured by Sergeant Louis R. Lowery, photographer for the Marine Corps's Leatherneck Magazine. Several hours later, Rosenthal photographed a reenactment of the scene, using a larger flag and carefully positioning the men. While the original photo survived, it is Rosenthal's picture that became famous worldwide.
After the war, Rosenthal worked as a photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle.
