From the Halls of Montezuma...

Today is the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. It's a fitting time to remember the men who raised the first U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima.

Everybody knows about the second flag-raising, thanks to the Associated Press's Joe Rosenthal and his iconic photo.

Here are the guys who put up the first flag earlier that day, including Crawfordsville, Ind.'s own Phil Ward (D). If they had any class, the people of Crawfordsville would put up a statue of Phil like the did for Gen. Lew Wallace.

I had the great honor of having several telephone conversations with Ray Jacobs (G), who was the last surviving member of the group. Ray died last year.

Semper Fi!