[SAMWolf]

Thanks Ken5050 for the background on the reasoning for taking Iwo. Airstrips played an important role in the Pacific war. The entire Guadacanal Campaign was pretty much centered on capturing/recapturing Henderson field,

[ken5050]

Correct.. Guadalcanal had to be captured in order to protect the US lifeline to Australia....ya know slightly off topic, but this weekend was watching some of the newsshows that did interviews with senior American commanders in theater....saw one with a USN ship captain, who when asked if his ship and crew was ready, gave a very PC like statement about, how, if needed, the ship would be tasked by the NCA to fulfill the coalition mandate...I was mentally contrasting it with Halsey's ( or Nimitz's..I forget which) great quote after Pearl Harbor..."The Japanese language will be spoken only in hell!!!"