(CNN)Some say it's the most famous, perfectly composed news photo of all time. Monday marks 70 years since Joe Rosenthal captured the iconic picture of five U.S. Marines and a Navy sailor raising an American flag over the battle-scarred Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The image was so inspiring that, by 1945 standards, it went viral. It triggered a wave of national hope that Japanese forces would soon be crushed and peace was near. It spurred millions of Americans to buy war bonds to keep the nation on solid financial footing. Basically, this simple photo was so powerful it helped win World War II.
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Many thought the famous photo of U.S. troops raising the flag at Iwo Jima was staged
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Hal Buell, a former executive newsphoto editor with the Associated Press, explains what happened
Joe Rosenthal
On the way, he ran into @placeholder coming up with two Marines: Pfc.
Joe Rosenthal
As @placeholder got closer to the summit, the flag began to come into view.
Marines
The @placeholder said they'd been ordered to replace the first flag with a bigger one so more people could see it below.
Joe Rosenthal
@placeholder had to quickly decide whether to shoot both flags simultaneously -- one rising while the other lowered -- or to photograph the second flag as it was being raised.