USM Professor is Consultant on Upcoming
A&E “Heroes of Iwo Jima” Show

USM associate professor of history Parker B. Albee Jr., was recently interviewed by, and served as an historical consultant for, the A&E Network’s special presentation of “Heroes of Iwo Jima” which airs Sunday, June 17 at 9:00 p.m.. The show will be hosted by Academy Award winner Gene Hackman.

The show features Joe Rosenthal’s famous photo of the raising of the U.S. flag on the island and the men who conquered the island tell the story of the battle through letters, interviews, recollections and color film footage.

Albee has co-authored a book that challenges various myths that have arisen around the famous photo of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. “Shadow of Suribachi: Raising the Flags on Iwo Jima,” is the result of six years of research that included reviews of military files, rare and unpublished photos, interviews with veterans, military officials and rare, in-depth conversations with Joe Rosenthal, the photographer who took the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph. In his research Albee also undertook a reappraisal of the identities of the marines in the Rosenthal photo, which later became the basis of the memorial statue in Washington, D.C.

Albee has other publications to his credit including "Letters from Sea" by Tilbury House Publishers in Gardiner, Maine. Walter Cronkite has said of the book, "Richer than any treasure of gold brought up from the ocean bottom, these recently discovered letters are priceless additions to our maritime history. ... dandy tales of the sea, more exciting than fiction for their total authenticity."

Professor Albee is available to discuss the show, its production and the history of the famous events on Iwo Jima. He may be contacted at 780-4298 (o), 781-4352 (h) or at <albee@usm.maine.edu>, or through the USM Media Relations office at 780-4200.