Kent Chandler Jr.: Looking for Fox Holes at Iwo Jima

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Kent Chandler Jr.: Looking for Fox Holes at Iwo Jima

Kent Chandler Jr. (1920-2013).

Iconic photo of the (second) flag raising at Iwo Jima, signed by the Major General of the Fifth Marine Division. Image source: Chandler family.

Iconic photo of the (second) flag raising at Iwo Jima, signed by the Major General of the Fifth Marine Division. Image source: Chandler family.

Kent Chandler Jr., Lake Forester and descendant of town founder John V. Farwell, served in World War II with the Fifth Marine Division, Second Battalion. He was stationed at Hawaii and Iwo Jima, where he was an assistant intelligence officer who eyed aerial photographs to help shape the U.S. attack.
At Iwo Jima, Captain Chandler and his team were responsible for finding fox holes and identifying enemy positions during the bloody battle.He witnessed the flag raising at the battle's end on March 26, 1945 that signaled a turning point in the Pacific theater during World War II. Chandler was in the same division as fellow Lake Forester George "Greeley" Wells, who supplied the flag for the first flag raising.
After Iwo Jima, Chandler was assigned to accept the surrender of enemy troops and perform classified missions with his troops in southern Japan. He was honorably discharged a captain and finished in the reserves as a Major.Following the war, Kent Chandler Jr. married Frances Robertson. They had two children and built a house for their family at 921 East Westminster. Chandler served as Lake Forest mayor from 1970-1973.