We can’t imagine it today. 6800 Marines KIA in one month, on a small patch of land. More than 20,000 Japanese KIA.
That’s WW1 or Civil War level carnage.
It’s going to be raining all day today and I think it’d be good to pull out and watch “Sands of Iwo Jima” with John Wayne, Martin Milner (Adam-12 fame) and Richard Jaeckel.
“the memorable image was captured in a famous photograph that later won the Pulitzer Prize.”
When the Pulitzer actually meant something before leftists destroyed its credibility to push an agenda.
There’s not many WW2 vets left, in the next few years all will be gone and one of the great satisfactions I had by Trump winning is that these guys will go knowing the people didn’t stab them in the back by destroying the country and freedom they fought so hard to defend.
I used to know a vet who was there. He was up in his 90’s when he passed away. I’m fascinated by history but he was all talked out on that subject (like many another combat vet). Fortunately his wife was able to tell me, and after he died she shared his letters from that time. They were married 70 years.
Getting back to normal and staying that way, is a life’s work by itself.
I’ve got a little sample of the black volcanic beach ‘sand’.
It was picked up by a Marine veteran who made a return visit.
He gave it to me because my Dad hadn’t been able to make the trip with the rest of them.
An invasion that may not have happened had the Japanese not used Iwo as a transit point for launching sporadic small scale nuisance air raids against Saipan.
Thank God for those brave Marines.
After the island was declared secured on March 26, 1945, some 2500 Japanese soldiers and sailors survived on the island.
They continued as survivalist groups as they had little food and water, few weapons or munitions. Over 1600 were killed by US Army troops or killed themselves and the rest surrendered. The last Japanese did not surrender until 1949.