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

