On Feb. 20, 1955, the La Crosse Tribune ran the gung-ho picture identifying ... of his role as a corpsman on Iwo Jima, a moment he says was captured in a photograph taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning ...

If you do the math, that means he was just a teenager when he witnessed — and took part in — a truly historic moment nearly 80 years ago on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima during World War II.

A prolific speaker who told his story to veteran’s groups and elementary schoolers alike, Thurman appeared in the famous “Gung Ho photo,” featuring Marines on Iwo Jima soon after the battle ...

Jack Thurman was part of the so-called “Gung ... Ho Gang,” one of 17 men photographed by Associated Press photographer Joseph Rosenthal on Feb. 23, 1945, the same day and time the most iconic ...