Bob Mason was a Navy Sea Bee who served in the South Pacific in WWII. He enlisted when he was 16 years old. A picture was taken of six United States Marines raising the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific War. The photograph, taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press on February 23, 1945, was first published in Sunday newspapers two days later and reprinted in thousands of publications. Bob Mason dug the hole that the marines used to raise that flag, but you've never seen his name on any of those pictures. He's okay with that, just glad he made it out safe. He was only shot once by a Japanese sniper, and he considers himself a lucky man. I took this picture of Bob Tuesday, July 19th, 2022.
UPDATE 08-31-22
Bob, who had been in great health, fell in his apartment last week and died at the ICU at Columbia St. Mary's yesterday of head trauma. Keep Bob in your prayers, and I can't even express how grateful I am that I had a chance to sit with Bob and hear his story and take his portrait. This is what a patriot looks like.
