07/02/24 Company commander of Iwo Jima flag-raisers shares his story in new book
After nearly 80 years of adding his input to other authors’ books, interviews and histories, the Marine commander of the company that raised the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the 1945 World War II battle of Iwo Jima – the photo of which became one of the most famous in the world – has written his personal account of those historic events in his own book for the first time.
Col. Dave E. Severance, USMC (Retired), of La Jolla, California, died in 2021 at the age of 102, but his authoritative account that he documented and wrote through the years until 2010 has now been published, per his wishes.
“My Iwo Jima Saga” By Col. Dave E. Severance
Available Now
“My Iwo Jima Saga” (Tales Press) is the story of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines – led by then-Capt. Severance – as it trained for and arrived on the black-sand beaches to do battle over one of the last strongholds before U.S. forces were on the doorstep of the Japanese mainland during a long and costly island-hopping campaign in the Pacific.
In addition to describing his company’s experiences, Severance detailed the specific actions that occurred when two flags, in fact, were raised on Mount Suribachi five days into a grueling, 36-day battle. The image taken by Associated Press combat photographer Joe Rosenthal of the second flag raising appeared on the front pages of the news around the world and quickly became an iconic symbol of American resolve that helped inspire a war-weary nation.
Had it not been for the picture’s global impact, most likely no one would have paid any mind to exactly who the men were who raised the flags. Shortly before his death, however, President Franklin Roosevelt determined that the flag-raisers in the photo would be helpful to promote the seventh war bond drive and ordered that they be identified and sent to Washington, D.C., after the battle.
What turned out to be the last government bond drive during the war was a huge success, raising more than $26 billion to help fund the effort. (There was also one victory loan drive after the war ended.)
Such were the circumstances that resulted in subsequent decades of confusion as to who the flag-raisers were, as well as dozens of erroneous claims to fame made by those who sought to be recognized and associated with the flag raising. Severance spent many years since the war debunking false claims in order to defend and preserve the true actions of the Marines in his company. Therefore, his book also includes his accounting and rebuttal of a number these so-called “wannabe” claims.
Subsequent corrections to flag-raiser identifications have since been announced by the U.S. Marine Corps as better technologies have helped clear the thick fog of war. Still, there were very few eyewitnesses who personally documented their direct participation in this pivotal event, and Severance’s authoritative account is a valuable contribution to the historical record.
“My Iwo Jima Saga” by Col. Dave E. Severance, USMC (Retired), is available for $20 plus shipping from our Shop page.