[Pilsner]

P.J. O'Rourke once wrote about a trip to the almost bare rock called Iwo Jima. There was a group Marines there at the same time, sleeping in tents in the triple digit heat, and hiking up volcanic Mt. Suribachi before dawn so they could watch the sun rise from its summit. A Marine representative explained that the trip to Iwo Jima was a reward for outstanding young Marines

P.J. wondered, if getting sent to live in a tent on a tropical rock, in the summer, and spending the night climbing a mountain composed of sharp and abrasive volcanic stones, in the dark, in stifling heat, and 100% humidity, was a reward for outstanding service, just what the Marine Corps did to junior enlisted men it was not pleased with...

[xone]

The island itself is hot, there are only hot water spigots when I was there, because there was no cold water. You got a great shave. The invasion beaches are like church for those who understand what happened on them. Never got the time to climb Suribachi, but wandered and contemplated the beaches. It was epic.