Dave Severance was born in Milwaukee, WI, in 1919 and died 102 years later in La Jolla, CA. In between those two events he served in three wars as a Marine Corps officer.  Severance was most famous for his service as commander of Easy Co., 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines on Iwo Jima.  During that battle, Captain Severance ordered his 3rd Platoon and 12 Marines from the Weapons Platoon up the slopes of Mount Suribachi to seize the crest. There, on Feb. 23, 1944, they raised the first flag at the summit, followed shortly thereafter by the raising of a second, larger, flag. It was this second flag raising which was recorded by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal and which became the most iconic photo of the U.S. war in the Pacific. Severance earned the Silver Star for his heroism on Iwo Jima.
Severance served in the occupation of Japan after the war and attended flight training.  During the Korean War he flew 69 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 4 Air Medals. He also served during the Vietnam War before retiring in 1968.

Photo of two flags over Mt Suribachi, island of Iwo Jima.  This photo was taken moments after the second flag raising and shows the smaller first flag being taken down.

Marines lower one flag over Mt Suribachi after the second flag is raised

DAVE E SEVERANCE

Service

COL

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

undefined

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us