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You won't believe why this ICONIC WWII image is being investigated!

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'Am I the first person to notice this? I can't be the first person, can I?'

Two amateur historians believe one of the men in the iconic Mount Suribachi image was misidentified, prompting a Marine Corp investigation.

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Highlights

By Kenya Sinclair (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
CALIFORNIA NETWORK (https://www.youtube.com/c/californianetwork)
5/3/2016 (7 years ago)

Published in U.S.

Keywords: Iwo Jima, WWII, Mount Suribachi, iconic image, flag

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The image, taken by the Associated Press' Joe Rosenthal, reveals the struggle six servicemen underwent to erect an American flag atop Japan's Iwo Jima Mount Suribachi.

Amateur historians Eric Krelle and Stephen Foley believe one of the men in the image, Franklin Sousley, was misidentified.

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The duo believes Sousley is actually Harold Henry Schultz, and that Sousley was mistaken for John Bradley.

On Tuesday, Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns confirmed the Marine Corps is currently investigating whether Krelle and Foley are correct in their hypothesis.

The historians originally pointed out the mistake in an article written in 2014.

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Krelle discovered the error when he was in recovery from a hernia surgery.

During his convalescence, Krelle read several WWII books and had a particular interest in Iwo Jima. That was when he made an interesting discovery.

In the article, Krelle described the following inconsistencies:

Bradley's cuffed pants are different than those worn by the man in the image.
Every other image of Bradley shows he wears tightly cuffed pants.
In the famous image the figure wears a soft utility cap while Bradley does not wear one.
The figure wears a different belt than Bradley.

"The image has endured," Krelle wrote. "It's still relevant today. And so it kind of boggles my mind: Am I the first person to notice this? I can't be the first person, can I?"

Apparently, he is. Though several critics claim Krelle and Foley have spent too much time staring at the image, the Marine Corps believe it is possible and have already begun their investigation.

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