Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I had heard of Iwo Jima, but only dimly.
And I certainly didn't get the crossword clue.
(Although I can see the parsing now that you have explained it)
The fight for the island was because of its strategic position , that I do know.....
And I have read of the flag -raising photograph by Joe Rosenthal that won the Pulitzer prize.
But I didn't even know until today that there were in fact two actual flag raisings!
Nor did I know of the confusion as to the identity of the Marines pictured.
I am afraid my knowledge of the issue was / is very scanty.
You do know such a lot!
I am puzzled by the repeats of Eggheads that are often shown......
I have watched Eggheads religiously for yonks, and never (well, rarely) miss an episode!
Yet never once have I ever seen a supposed "repeat" before!
How can that be?