U.S. Marines are shown receiving Holy Communion on Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945.
This historic photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal on March 3, 1945, depicts three U.S. Marines kneeling on the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima as they receive Communion from a chaplain.
The men identified in the image are Private First Class Edmond L. Fadel, Private Walter M. Sokowski, and Private Nicholas A. Zingaro, taking part in a Catholic Mass conducted during the fierce fighting near Motoyama Airfield. The image endures as a striking symbol of faith and humanity amid one of the bloodiest island battles of World War II.