Posted on 02/23/2015 9:04:14 AM PST by Borges
Where uncommon valor was a common virtue.
bump.
Bump
Boy would those brave men be horrified at how their nation turned out to be 70 years later!
...just a note on the battle, lifted from Wikipedia: “The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi) of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 216 taken prisoner.
During the 2-month-long battle, 27 U.S. military personnel were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Of the 27 medals awarded, 22 were presented to Marines and five were presented to United States Navy sailors (four of whom were Hospital Corpsman); this is over 25% of the 82 Medals of Honor awarded to Marines in the entirety of World War II.”
Three of those men were KIA before the battle for Iwo Jima was over.
I once read a story about a Marine on Iwo Jima who said that in battle, the Marine in his squad carrying a BAR was killed. Being a well trained Marine, he picked up the BAR and suddenly every Jap on the island was shooting at him. When asked what he did, he said, “I threw that BAR down faster than I picked it up and lived”!
Semper Fidelis.
This comes from a career Navy man.
My late father-in-law, 4th, Marine Division barely made it off that damned island. He was luckier than most I guess. He got ‘’the million dollar wound’’, a leg wound and it got him the heck out of there. God bless them all.
11 of those medals were awarded postumushly.
“Manila John” Basilone, who’d been awarded the Medal of Honor for Guadalcanal actions, was blown apart on the beach on Day One.
My uncle - he’s 90 now - was a SeaBee and was on many of the Pacific islands, building airstrips as soon as the Marines had taken enough land to put one. He never has talked about it much but I do recall him saying they were real sitting ducks for snipers. I never appreciated what these men, teenagers, really, did until I got to spend my 21st birthday in Vietnam. Pray for our troops, wherever they are.
Here’s health to you and to our CorpsWhich we are proud to serve;In many a strife we’ve fought for lifeAnd never lost our nerve.If the Army and the NavyEver look on Heaven’s scenes,They will find the streets are guardedBy United States Marines.
Well, I wasn't allowed on the Barracks property, but I did see where the building was.
A couple blocks away is the Washington Navy Yard, which I was allowed to enter. I encountered a tiny 2 story building with a sign that said 'Marine Corps Museum'. This was long before the National Museum of the Marine Corps was built in Quantico.
Anyway, on the second floor of that building were the two flags that were raised over Suribachi. Just something kinda cool.
Just think of all those poor Japanese soldiers who needlessly died, all because we thought we could kill our way to victory rather than offering them jobs. Oh, the humanity!
Rartian, you’re right. I don’t know. My oldest brother was in the 5th. Marine Division in the ‘70s. I believe the 5th. was also the outfit Basilone was with and it was my brother who told me. I also believe Basilone was the first Marine to win the Medal Of Honor in WW2.
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