Ernest Ivy Thomas Jr.

rdf:langString Ernest Ivy Thomas Jr.

rdf:langString Ernest Thomas

rdf:langString Boots

rdf:langString Ernest Thomas

rdf:langString World War II *Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign **Battle of Iwo Jima

rdf:langString Platoon Sergeant Ernest Thomas after he helped raise the flag on Mount Suribachi

rdf:langString Boots

rdf:langString Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg

rdf:langString World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg

rdf:langString United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg

rdf:langString Combat Action Ribbon.svg

rdf:langString Navy Cross ribbon.svg

rdf:langString Purple Heart ribbon.svg

rdf:langString American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg

rdf:langString award-star

rdf:langString service-star

rdf:langString Ernest Ivy "Boots" Thomas Jr. (March 10, 1924 – March 3, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps platoon sergeant who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while fighting for and at the base of Mount Suribachi. Two days later he was a member of the patrol that captured the top of Mount Suribachi where he helped raise the first U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. He was killed eight days after that. The first flag flown over the southern end of Iwo Jima was regarded to be too small to be seen by the thousands of Marines fighting on the other side of the mountain where the Japanese airfields and most of their troops were located, so it was replaced the same day with a larger flag. Although there were photographs taken of the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi and some which include Thomas, there was no photograph taken of Marines raising the first flag. The second flag-raising was photographed by Associated Press combat photographer Joe Rosenthal and became famous after copies of his photograph appeared in the newspapers two days later. Thomas also was photographed near the second flag. The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, is modeled after the historic photograph of six Marines raising the second flag on Iwo Jima.

rdf:langString Place of burial