Talking About World War II: Did only John Basilone and the Iwo Jima Marines (involved in raising the flag) sell war bonds during World War II?
Did only John Basilone and the Iwo Jima Marines (involved in raising the flag) sell War Bonds during World War II? No. There were thousands of people who sold war bonds during the seven or so War Bond Drives that took place between 1941 and 1945. Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone and the three surviving Iwo Jima flag raisers (John Bradley might not have been one of them, according to recent Marine Corps historical researchers, but he was believed to have been at the time) were just the tip of the war bonds iceberg. Many Americans, ranging from movie stars such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard (she died in a plane crash while participating in a War Bond Drive) to ordinary citizens in small towns such as Luverne, Minnesota.