The Battle of Iwo Jima started 72 years ago today. Remember Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history, with this rare footage. | U.S. Marine Corps

Most Americans know the historic significance of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and the iconic image it is modeled after. Few, however, may know that the original, working model used by sculptor Dr. Felix W. de Weldon to create the monument is on display thousands of miles away in South Texas. Weldon, who worked on the massive sculpture for almost 10 years after World War II, donated the model to the Marine Military Academy in 1981. It was transported to the Rio Grand

On Feb. 23, 1945, five days after the initial assault on the island of Iwo Jima, Marines took control of the high ground and planted a flag atop Mt. Suribachi. The flag raising didn’t signal the end of the fight on Iwo Jima, but it did motivate the Marines and corpsmen still flushing out an entrenched enemy force. Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams and Navajo Code Talker Thomas H. Begay recall what it was like to see the Stars and Stripes fly high over the island. “It was the grea