DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Marine Corps is investigating whether it mistakenly identified one of the men shown in an iconic picture from World War II.
The Marines announced Monday it would examine the identities of the six men who raised the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima, shown in an Associated Press photograph, after two amateur history buffs began raising questions about the 1945 picture.
The decision, first reported by the Omaha World-Herald, comes more than a year after Eric Krelle, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Stephen Foley, of Wexford, Ireland, began raising doubts about the identity of one man, John Bradley.
For decades, no one has questioned the Marines' identification of the men, only three of whom survived the war.
The Marines didn't give a timeline for its investigation.
In this Feb 23, 1945 file photo, U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)
