Petition to have warship named after local WWII combat correspondent launched

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.

"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.