Francis Junior Pierce (December 7, 1924 – December 21, 1986) was a United States Navy hospital corpsman in World War II who received the nation's highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for heroic actions "above and beyond the call of duty" on March 15–16, 1945, while assigned to a Marine Corps infantry battalion during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
William George Harrell (June 16, 1922 – August 9, 1964) was a United States Marine who was awarded his nation's highest military honor – the Medal of Honor – for his heroic actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Franklin Runyon Sousley (September 19, 1925 – March 21, 1945) was a United States Marine who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was one of the six marines who raised the second of two U.S. flags on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.
The first flag raised and flown over the mountain at the south end of Iwo Jima was regarded to be too small to be seen by the thousands of Marines fighting on the other side of Iwo Jima, so it was replaced on the same day by a larger one. Although there were photographs taken of the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi after it was captured, there was no single photograph taken of Marines raising the flag. The second flag raising became famous and took precedence over the first flag raising after the photograph of it appeared worldwide in newspapers. The second flag raising was also filmed in color.The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, was modeled after the historic photograph of six Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.
Private First Class Franklin Earl Sigler (November 6, 1924 – January 20, 1995) was an American Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Iwo Jima campaign – a one-man assault on a Japanese gun position which had been holding up the advance of his company for several days, and for annihilating the enemy gun crew with hand grenades. Although painfully wounded during his attack, he directed the fire of his squad and personally carried three of his buddies who were wounded to safety behind the lines.
The nation's highest military decoration was presented to PFC Sigler during ceremonies at the White House. U.S. President Harry S. Truman awarded the medal to him on October 5, 1945.
Tony Stein (September 30, 1921 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II. He received the award for repeatedly making single-handed assaults against the enemy and for aiding wounded Marines during the initial assault on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. He was killed in action ten days later.
First Lieutenant Harry Linn Martin (January 4, 1911 – March 26, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps officer who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima on March 26, 1945.
Robert Hugo Dunlap (October 19, 1920 – March 24, 2000) was a United States Marine Corps major who received the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty as a captain of a rifle company during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.