But somehow I doubt that is what the author of this article meant.
I have recently watched THE FLAG RAISERS ON IWO JIMA a few times in the last week, people here seem to forget something
Joe Rosenthal was asked if he posed his shot, he thought they meant the "school photo" as he called it, the one after where they all raised their helmets and posed, and he corrected that comment, but the question was not forgotten
Also, Marine Sgt Lowrey took the very first flag raising photos and they were never released in the war due to Rosenthal's picture making first to the media. (Lowrey was a LEATHERNECK reporter and photographer, not AP)
Another controversy is the identification of just who was who in the picture. The man on the far right was misidentified and it was after the war that Ira Hayes visited Harlon Block's family and told them the story. Harlon's Mom always insisted that was her son, and the formal USMC investigation proved her correct.
Some Admiral wanted the first flag but the Marine commander refused to hand it over.
That's not true, either, the ships did see it, it was just decided to add a larger one to be seen easier.
The ships blasted their horns at the raising of the first one.
The second raising was almost a non event, no one really cared then, the excitement was over.
Lou Lowery photographed the raising of the first flag. On his descent down Suribachi he encountered Joe Rosenthal and told him he had missed the flag raising. Rosenthal continued his ascent unaware that Rene Gagnon was being dispatched to the summit with a larger flag. SECNAV James Forrestal wanted the first flag as a personal souvenir; which the battalion commander was not going to give him, and the commanders wanted a larger flag raised that could be seen better by the fleet and those on the island. Rosenthal almost missed the event entirely as he was speaking with photographer Bill Genaust at the instant the replacement flag was being raised.