https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3382080/posts
FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Hershel “Woody” Williams ~ 11 January 2016
Lot photos and data in the thread in his honor
Thank you for the link, Deport.
Thank you for that link and the description of his heroics.
My uncle was a radioman for the air force and was on Iwo Jima just a few days after either the landing or after the air strip was secured. I was amazed. “Aw - every once in awhile they would shoot at us from the other side of the field as we were getting things set up, but they were so far away...”
Excerpt on the importance of Iwo Jima found on the interwebs:
By war’s end, a total of 2,451 B-29s made forced landings on the island. This figure represented an estimated 26,961 flight crewmen, many of whom would have perished at sea without the availability of Iwo Jima as a safe landing strip.
One B-29 pilot said, “Whenever I land on this island, I thank God for the men who fought for it.”