World War II veteran Karl Schmidt of Peoria was the keynote speaker at Illinois Central College's Veterans Day event Monday.
Schmidt is a Marine corporal. He served at Guadalcanal, Guam and Iwo Jima.
Schmidt recalls standing next to the photographer as the famous flag-raising photo was taken at Iwo Jima.
"He said, well, I'm going to send this into Guam, this negative. He said, I don't know if they'll like it or not, but I'll send it in," Schmidt said.
That photo was the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial just outside Arlington National Cemetery. That was just one of the many stories Schmidt told during his twenty-minute long address.
Schmidt received the Purple Heart after he was wounded in battle.
