The Battle of Iwo Jima began sixty years ago today. There is no doubt in my heart that this photo, taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal four days into the assault as the Americans reached the summit of Mount Suribachi, is the defining moment for the Armed Forces of the United States..and for all of World War II. It speaks volumes all by itself.

So do these quotations:

“Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue”—Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 1945

“As long as Americans cherish the memory of those who served at Iwo Jima, and grasp the crucial lesson they offer all free societies, the totalitarians will never win.”—Arthur Herman, 2005

REMEMBER.