Possibly the most iconic image of the American World War II experience was a photograph taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima, which ended on March 26, 1945. 

However, the action captured in the image associated with the battle actually took place more than a month earlier, on Feb. 23, as United States Marines raised a flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, a scene captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. His image has become a symbol of the U.S. Marines and appears on postage stamps, medals, sculpture and more, and it won that year's Pulitizer Prize for photography.

The famous flag-raising was the second time the United States raised a flag over the Japanese islands during the five-week battle, which encompassed some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of World War II's War in the Pacific. However, it was Rosenthal's amazing photo that everyone knows.

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In 2005, the United States Mint issued a silver dollar to commemorate the Marine Corps's 230th anniversary, and it featured Rosenthal’s iconic image. 

The obverse was designed by United States Mint sculptor-engraver Norman E. Nemeth.

The coin’s reverse, designed by United States Mint sculptor-engraver Charles L. Vickers, features an engraving of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, the official emblem of the United States Marine Corps.