Louis R. Lowery
Captain, U.S. Marine Corps

Louis R. Lowery was born on 24 July 1916 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Lowery was the Marine Corps photographer best known for taking the first flag-raising photograph on Iwo Jima on 23 February 1945. The first flag raised was too small to be seen easily from the nearby landing beaches, so a second, larger flag was raised, resulting in the famous photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1945.

A founder and former president of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association (USMCCCA), Lowery was a Photographic Director of Leatherneck Magazine, a publication of the Marine Corps.

Medals and Awards

Purple Heart (2 Awards)

Honors

He was portrayed by actor David Hornsby in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers.

Death and Burial

Captain Louis R. Lowery died on 15 April 1987 at age 70 from aplastic anemia. He is buried at Quantico National Cemetery in Prince William County, VA.