Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
46 | MARCH 4 • 2021
A Hero of World War II
S
eventy-six years ago, on Feb. 23, 1945,
Joe Rosenthal, a photographer with the
Associated Press, took one of the most
iconic images in American history. The photo,
which won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography,
showed six United States Marines raising the
American flag on Mount Suribachi on the
Pacific island of Iwo Jima. The image from
the photo was later depicted in 3-D for the
Marine Corps Memorial statue in
Washington, D.C.
The flag raising was in the
midst of the famous and horrific
battle to wrest Iwo Jima from the
Imperial Japanese army during
WWII. After a six-week struggle,
there were 26,000 American casu-
alties; nearly 7,000 of them were
killed in action.
Recently, while cruising the William Davidson
Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History, among
the hundreds of stories about Detroit Jews serv-
ing in the military I ran across an obituary in
the June 28, 2002, issue of the JN for William J.
Weinstein, major general in the United States
Marine Corps. Weinstein was in the fight at Iwo
Jima.
Weinstein was born in Detroit Dec. 9, 1917.
He graduated from Wayne State University Law
School in 1940 and enlisted in the Marines in
July 1941. Weinstein was commissioned a sec-
ond lieutenant six months later in January 1942.
Weinstien’s first assignment was command-
er of a rifle company commander. As such,
he fought in several battles, including Saipan
and Tinian in the southern Pacific Ocean as
American forces “island hopped” toward Japan.
In 1945, as an operations officer for the Marine
Corps Fourth Division, Weinstein was engaged
in the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the toughest and
most famous battles in Marine Corps history.
In between battles, Weinstein married Evelyn
Ross in 1944. They had two children, Michael
and Patricia; Michael was born while William
was overseas. Evelyn tragically passed away at
the early age of 51. Weinstein later married Rose,
who was his wife when he died in 2002 (I think
her maiden name was Godwin, but I cannot
confirm this fact in the Archive).
After the war, Weinstein remained in the
USMC Reserve. He rose through the ranks
until he was promoted to brigadier general
in 1967, the first Michigander and only the
second Jew to hold that rank. In 1971, he was
promoted to major general, a rank he held
until his retirement in 1975. Weinstein was
also awarded numerous medals during his
stellar military career.
After the war, Weinstein
was a prominent law-
yer in Detroit for many
years, the senior partner
in Weinstein, Kroll and
Gordon P
.C. He was a
director of the American
Bar Association and a fellow
in the American College
of Trial Lawyers. He was
also an active member of
Congregation B’nai David.
And, having lost many
members of his father’s
family in Poland
at the hands of the
Nazis, Weinstein was
a staunch supporter
of Israel. In 1994, he
was given the Eleanor
Roosevelt Humanities
Award for Israel Bonds
and was in the Prime
Minister’s Club. Among
other honors, in
Detroit, Mayor Roman
Gribbs declared Aug.
12, 1971, to be William
J. Weinstein Day.
Maj. Gen. William
Weinstein was a credit
to the USMC, and to
Detroit’s Jewish community. As Marines
would say: “Semper Fi.
”
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.
org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
Minister’s Club. Among
12, 1971, to be William
Detroit’s Jewish community. As Marines
JOE ROSENTHAL OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS