 In the amphibious landing on February 19, 1945, Smith went ashore in the third wave of soldiers with his rifle but without his typewriter, which had been lost at sea.Smith's Los Angeles Times column would occasionally recount his experiences during the battle.On the subject of the iconic Iwo Jima flag raising, Smith addressed a sometimes discussed controversy of a second, larger American flag being raised to replace the initially planted one (as the first one was too small to be seen by the soldiers fighting on the island).