Posted on 02/19/2011 2:10:18 PM PST by lbryce
Camp Pendleton Marines will commemorate the 66th anniversary of the bloody and heroic Battle of Iwo Jima on Saturday evening.
The island south of Japan was where the iconic photograph was taken of Marines raising an American flag in the heat of battle.
Marines landed on Feb. 19, 1945, to claim an emergency airfield for damaged B-29 bombers returning from Japan.
Japanese soldiers, with the advantage of caves and high ground, contested every inch of land over the next five weeks and inflicted 26,000 casualties on U.S. forces, including about 6,800 killed.
The public part of the commemoration will include a memorial service at sunset at the Iwo Jima Monument at the base's South Mesa Club.
God bless the United States Marine Corps!
It is an amazingly small place for so many people to have died. i had the opportunity to go to Iwo Jima several times and the first time I flew over I felt like I was looking down at Gettysburg. Guys in my unit would always go up to Suribachi to clean up the American monument. The JSDF keeps their monument in pretty good shape.
Freedom isn’t free! Thank you to all Vets, especially Marines. Semper fi!
FDR wouldn't do it. Wonder if he was right.
I had the great honor to go to Iwo Jima in 1985. It was a fascinating day. You are exactly correct in comparing Iwo Jima to Gettysburg. The sense of awe and humbleness that overcomes one while in either place is simply amazing.
Thank you for your service.
TS
I was privileged to fly into IWO as an aircrew member several times in the 60’s. (C-124’s) out of Tachi. It was awe inspiring to walk the beaches ,see the caves and look at Surabachi and recall how just a few years before so many gallant men, many of them only half my age, risked and gave their lives for that tiny rock, . There was a great NCOIC who loved to take us on tours of the island. It was a lonely outpost where they were building a LORAN-C station.
To my late father-in-law John “Jack’’ Scharffenberger 4th. Marine Division ( Saipan Iwo Jima) Thanks Dad, thank you for my freedom.
My Father didn’t hit Iwo, He was farther south. I was born with the Iwo Jima scene embedded in my brain. I miss my Dad. He was a good Marine to the end.
My father hit Iwo three weeks after the invasion off loading equiptment from LST 813. My wife’s uncle took part in the invasion with USMC and went on to serve 30 years, two more wars, retiring as Command SGT Major. He took part in the “retreat” from Chosin with Puller. Where is this caliber of American fortitude today?
America has changed, but the warrior is still the same. All the branches of our armed forces make me proud, but I still bleed Marine.
I agree. The “warrior” spirit is still very much with us. Yes, USA has changed somewhat. It is the politics that I find confounding. I served three years US Army, (67-70)18 months on Okinawa.Most Nam bound Marines stopped there going and coming. I worked closely with a lot of them. Semper Fi to you....
Not all the U.S. troops/servicemen on Iwo were Marines. My father-in-law, Jim Lucore, Jr., was a member of the 75th JASCO (Joint Assault Signal Company), Signal Corps, third wave. His company took up to 75% casualties. He never talks about it, even at 90. However, he holds no animus against the Japanese soldiers. It was war.
There was also a Seabee company that was accidentally sent in (the request was for one engineer to operate a piece of equipment). They were lightly armed and decimated. Don’t know the unit identification.
A couple weeks ago, we lost Major Gen. Bruce Jacobs, a cardiac rehab friend of mine. He was in charge of an Army Transport ship taking the Marines in.
Radio Show hosts Mark Levin (his grandfather) and John Bachelor (father) had relatives in the Marines on Iwo.
Also, Swift Boat veteran John O’Neill’s father was flying skycap for the Marines on Iwo.
All were brave - the best America had. A salute to them and their families
MadMax, Vietnam journalist, son of
Morris Friedman, Chemical Warfare Service, 4.2 CM
and father of
Josh Friedman, 299th Army Engineers MRB, “First Forward”, OPF, 3/20/03
Was always surprised the Japanese didn’t unleash some type of gas or biological attack on our military. The German’s had nothing on the Japanese in that department having perfected germ warfare in China.
Had we invaded Japan I have no doubt they would have used such elements against us.
BTTT
wow...now that is one piece of history I would love to learn more about.
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