Heroes Of Iwo Jima Directed by Lauren Lexton, 2001

For nearly a month, U.S. Marines fought entrenched Japanese defenders for control of the tiny island. In the end, over 25,000 soldiers died, more than 3,000 for each square mile of Iwo Jima.

HEROES OF IWO JIMA looks at the legendary WWII battle through the lenses of two photographers. Joe Rosenthal took the famous picture of six Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi. But hours earlier, a similar moment was captured in a picture that is nearly fogotten. Here, the men who documented the struggle recall the horror and heroism they witnessed, while those who conquered “Hell’s Volcano” explore their mixed emotions over the image that has become an icon.

Joe Rosenthal, flag raiser Charles Lindberg, and James Bradley — author of the monumental best-seller Flags of Our Fathers — are among the nearly 50 people interviewed in this unique examination of the epic engagement.