80th Anniversary of Iwa Jima Flag raising Come celebrate!

Every year on the 23rd of February, we in Monticello commemorate the flag raising on Mount Suribachi. This is a very exciting year for us, because it is the 80th anniversary of that exciting event. The 80th anniversary celebration will take place at the Boots Thomas Memorial at 2 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 23. During the event you will probably hear some funny and interesting stories about Platoon Sergeant Ernest Boots Thomas, a local World War II hero. Doctor Jim Sledge (Boots’ best friend) usually shares some stories about Boots Thomas. Here is some history about him: Boots was born and raised in Monticello, FL. When the second World War broke out in 1941, he joined the Marines. Boots advanc