(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Goldstar Museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston is hosting an event Saturday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Goldstar curator Mike Vogt says a presentation at 10:30 will discuss on the types of equipment and weapons used in the beach landing on February 19th, 1945. “What lessons had been learned, what had worn out, what had been tried and true, what was, what was quality, standard equipment that aided the Marines in their campaign on the island,” Vogt says.

Another presentation at one o’clock will feature Brent Westermeyer who discovered that an Iowa Marine was part of the famous flag raising on Mount Siribachi at Iwo Jima.  “Harold Keller from Brooklyn, who was identified about ten years ago as being one of the flag raisers on the second flag raising on Iwo Jima a few days after the Marines hit the beach, he had gone sort of undiscovered, unidentified, and so he’s going to talk about some of the photographic evidence snapshots that came to light,” he says. The photo of the flag raising is one of the most famous images from World War Two.

Vogt says Keller didn’t brag about being part of the famous photograph and it wasn’t until after his death that a couple of documents were found that mention it.  “One was a company newsletter where he worked in the late 1970s, he made reference to being a flag raiser. And then he’s sent a letter to a to someone back in Iowa shortly after when he was in the Marine Corps, something along the lines of you’ll probably see me in the photograph,” Vogt says. The photograph was used to raise money for the war and a book and later movie discussed the famous event.

A tank outside the Goldstar Museum. (RI photo)

Vogt says historians have debated whether or not taking Iwo Jima was needed, but by the end of the war some 21-hundred crippled Army, Air Force B-29’s had made landings on the island.  “And almost 18 to 20-thousand crew members that may have been lost or had to ditch and to see all their lives to the capture of the island and its airfield that was made operational to not only launch strikes into Japan that launched fighter escorts via P-51’s to escort B-29’s to Japan for bombing raids, but also played a very important role, not only as a base for air sea rescue, but as a reserve emergency field when needed,” he says.

The Museum opens at 10 a-m Saturday and there will be reenactors showing off period uniforms and also a special exhibit. An exhibit at the Museum will feature Iowa Albert E Branch, who was killed on March 1st of 1945 during fighting on the island after participating in the taking of Mount Siribachi. The event is free an open to the public. You can enter Camp Dodge at the south side entrance and will need to show an I-D.