Letter to TIME Magazine:
April 28 Cover “inexcusable”

To the editor,

As National Commander of AMVETS, one of the nation’s leading veterans’ service organizations, born out of World War II and representing more than 250,000 veterans nationwide, I find the cover image from the April 28 issue of TIME Magazine inexcusably insulting.   

The image is a doctored version of the famous flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II where nearly 7,000 Marines were killed in action. Instead of raising the American flag, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman are depicted raising a pine tree.

With Memorial Day only a few short weeks away and the month of May as Military Appreciation Month, how could TIME believe that this would be acceptable? Must we note that three of the brave Marines, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank, did not survive the Battle of Iwo Jima? This is a grave disservice to these men and their thousands of brothers-in-arms who made the ultimate sacrifice on the island, and the millions of Americans who served at home and abroad during World War II.

To AMVETS, the issue of this image is two-fold:  Not only is the image insulting to veterans who have fought to preserve the ideals of this country, but the image is also degrading to the American flag, which deserves reverence as the symbol of this nation—an ideal that seems to have been lost as our Greatest Generation passes on.

AMVETS does not take umbrage to the actual text of the story. In fact, we believe that the issue of global climate change must be addressed in a timely manner, which is why we were the only veterans’ service organization to call for the renewable fuels standard signed into law this past December. Author Bryan Walsh notes that our nation’s veterans have fought with an unmatched level of professionalism and proficiency throughout our brief history, often overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. He calls on our government to do the same to battle climate change.

However, TIME’s editorial staff, and particularly Arthur Hochstein, should have known better than to publish the cover image. AMVETS believes TIME was irresponsible to run Hochstein’s photo-shopped image, degrading the service of America’s bravest at Iwo Jima.

To AMVETS, it seems this image was published to shock the audience into purchasing copy. This shrewd business move by the publishers of TIME cannot be excused.

Shame on Hochstein and shame on TIME. To twist the meaning of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima belittles the sacrifices of my fellow veterans. TIME has done a disservice to the millions of brave men and women who have laid their lives down for the freedoms that we cherish, and we call on the magazine to apologize to our heroes for this insult.

Veterans serving veterans,

John P. “JP” Brown III, AMVETS National Commander

Media Contact:
National
Communications Director
Jay Agg
(301) 683-4035
jagg@amvets.org

National
Publications Editor
Isaac Pacheco
(301)-683-4038
ipacheco@amvets.org

National
Media Specialist
Ryan Gallucci
(301)683-4073
rgallucci@amvets.org