MONTICELLO, Fla. (WTXL) – It's an iconic picture that most Americans know of, the United States Marines raising an American Flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
Something you may not know, is one of those Marines is a Monticello Native.
Monticello native Ernest "Boots" Thomas helped raised the first U.S. flag that morning, one that was replaced with a larger flag by that afternoon.
A couple of weeks later, and just days before his 21st birthday, Thomas died in combat.
Now a good friend of Thomas' who often exchanged letters with the war hero, Dr. James Sledge is making sure no one forgets his friend's contributions.
He is spreading the word about Monticello's war hero in a new book.
The book, "Call Me No Hero", is a collection of letters and pictures that help's tell the story of the man that Monticello calls their 'hero'.
