Iwo Jima survivors help relive famous flag raising

Nine World War II veterans who survived the battle for Iwo Jima 70 years ago were honored at the Camp Pendleton Marine base Friday afternoon in celebration of Memorial Day.

The ceremony was a reenactment of the moment during the battle when five Marines and one Navy corpsman raised a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi.

Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the act in a photo that became a symbol of the war and one of the most reproduced military images in history.

Iwo Jima Monument West, a Corona del Mar-based nonprofit that sponsored the reenactment, is raising money to buy a monument to the Iwo Jima flag raising and move it from the East Coast to Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

The organization hopes to raise up to $4 million this year with the goal of dedicating the memorial at the Marine base by November 2016.

—Hannah Fry