The US Naval Academy’s men’s swimming and diving team has created a lot of buzz about their re-enactment of the scene that inspired the Marine Corp War Memorial.
In 1945 James Rosenthal photographed a group of Marines and a member of the Navy as they raised the American flag at the battle of Iwo Jima.
The image got millions talking, won a Pulitzer Prize for Photography, and became the model for the US Marine Corps War Memorial.
Nearly 70 years later, the imagery has gotten people buzzing again, but this time the photo features members of the US Naval Academy’s men’s swimming and diving team.
Also, they’re not storming a beach, but rather the bottom of a swimming pool.
The team re-enacted the historic moment, photographed it, and tweeted it.
It bears the caption, “Navy Men’s Swimming and Diving at its finest.”
It’s since been heavily circulating the social media circuit and has become the subject of numerous news outlet stories.
A gracious bunch, the team has been busy expressing their appreciation to all of the followers, re-tweeters, and newspapers and programs that have helped spread the image.
Also honorable, they gave full credit for the photo to the team’s “firsties” – the Naval Academy’s term for its seniors.
