Hero's of Iwo Jima - 57th Annual Reunion

August 31st 2006 at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas Texas

On November 11, 1943, vigorous training began at Camp Pendleton for the six future flagraisers and thousands of other Marines. During this time, the boys learned to worship the rifle and would become one interdependent unit whose duty was to forge ahead while looking out for each other. The group, named Spearhead, shipped out of Pearl Harbor on the USS Missoula and sailed toward Iwo Jima expecting to land on February 19, 1945 – D-day. The Japanese, under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, hoped to cause an extreme number of American casualties in order to sway the American public against continuing the war. The defenses they built on Iwo Jima in support of this goal were daunting––an underground city with an extensive series of underground tunnels––and would make this the bloodiest and most costly battle of the war in terms of lives lost and injuries.

The following pictures are of the men who survived the Battle of Iwo Jima and are still alive to tell their stories. I would personally like to thank the men who faught that battle for the freedoms we have today. It was a true honor to meet and be surrounded by such men.

Regards,

Ethan Tweedie
Grateful Civilian