; Whereas, on February 19, 1945, under the leadership of United States Navy 5th Fleet Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and United States Marine Corps V Amphibious Corps Major General Harry Schmidt, with 3d Division Major General Graves B. Erskine, 4th Division Major General Clifton Cates, and 5th Division Major General Keller E. Rockey, the United States launched an amphibious landing and assault on Iwo Jima that culminated with the engagement of more than 70,000 members of the United States Marine Corps, buttressed by thousands of members of the United States Navy and the United States Army serving as assault, garrison, and support forces (referred to in this preamble as the Battle of Iwo Jima ); Whereas the Marines who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima overcame numerous disadvantages in the 36-day battle that included treacherous terrain, unfavorable weather conditions, and heavy enemy fire from an embedded, determined, and fierce Japanese fighting force in places immortalized by members of the United States Marine Corps, including the Meat Grinder and Bloody Gorge ; Whereas, on February 23, 1945, only 5 days into the Battle of Iwo Jima, members of the United States Marine Corps ascended the highest point on the island, Mount Suribachi, and raised the flag of the United States two separate times, and the second flag raising resulted in the iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning image that— (1) was captured on film by photographer Joe Rosenthal; (2) has become a recognized symbol of determination, perseverance, and struggle; and (3) has been memorialized as the United States Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia; Whereas the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the Marine Corps, resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including more than 6,800 killed; Whereas most of the more than 20,000 estimated Japanese soldiers that fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima were killed, with only approximately 1,083 Japanese soldiers surviving at the conclusion of the campaign