Ernest Ivy Thomas Jr., Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Ernest Ivy Thomas Jr.

United States Marines

Date of Birth: 10-Mar-1924

Place of Birth: Tampa, Florida, United States

Date of Death: 03-Mar-1945

Profession: military personnel

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

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 at the base of Mount Suribachi on February 21, 1945.
He is best known for helping to raise the first of two U.S.
flags on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23.
He was killed eight days later. In 1954, the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, was modeled after the famous photograph of the second-flag raising which had been generally portrayed since 1945 as the only flag-raising on Mount Suribachi.
Although there were photographs taken of the first flag flying on Mount Suribachi and some which include Thomas, there was no single photograph taken of Marines actually raising the first flag.
The first flag flown over the southern end of Iwo Jima was regarded to be too small to be seen by all the American troops on the other side of the mountain, and was replaced by a larger one.
Thomas is also shown in photos near the replacement flag which went up as the first flag was being taken down.