Petition to have warship named after local WWII combat correspondent launched

A petition was launched to have a Navy warship named after Joe Rosenthal, local WWII photographer was launched on the 242nd anniversary of the Marines Corps.

The photo of U.S. Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II was taken by the late Joe Rosenthal. He was a combat correspondent and a San Francisco native.

A petition drive by Bay Area veterans asking a warship to be named after Rosenthal now has the attention of the Secretary of the Navy.

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.

Joe Rosenthal/AP Photo, File

"It was truly a miracle that he got this picture at 1/400th of a second, carrying a camera that weighed at least 10-pounds, and that was big and bulky," said Vern Smith, a veteran.

There's also a tribute to that iconic moment on a hilltop in Crockett, just off I-80.

It was put there by an East Bay man as a tribute to his brother.

The Marines Corps is marking its 242nd anniversary Friday.

Click here to view the petition.

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