LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Students at the University of Kentucky raised the American flag on Tuesday morning to honor the 76th anniversary of United States Marines raising the Stars and Stripes on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II.
Cadets with the UK Army and Air Force ROTC joined veterans and their families for the flag-raising ceremony. Elwood "Woody" Hughes was an eyewitness to the flag being raised at Iwo Jima, and one of his last wishes was for schools to honor those who made the sacrifice on the island.
Hughes died earlier this month at the age of 95 in Lexington, but his grandson, Steven Hughes, was there to see Tuesday's ceremony and said he won't forget it.
"To see that, you know, type of honor being paid to those who deserve it — yeah, I'll remember this the rest of my life," Steven Hughes said.
Another flag-raising ceremony was also held Tuesday morning at Veteran's Elementary in Lexington.
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