Today in history, 19Feb45, more than 70,000 US Marines of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions (all 3 divisions, in their entirety) surrounded and attacked the tiny North Pacific island of Iwo Jima.

Ashore, 22,000 Japanese waited for them, under the command of LtGen Kuribyashi. The Samauri general had dug-in his Japanese defenders UNDER the island, and told them to prepare to die. His only order was for each man to kill 10 Marines before death.

Iwo Jima was tiny by comparison to many other islands the Marines had landed on during WWII. Less than 8 square miles in area (1/3 the size of Manhattan), it would become the most-costly battle in US Marine Corps history, before or since.

The battle was expected to last 4 days. It lasted 36. The Marines expected to find 14,000 Japanese there. They found 22,000. We expected about 10,000 casualties. We had over 26,000. More than 8,620 Marines were killed on Iwo and nearly 20,000 wounded. One third of all Marines killed during WWII died on Iwo Jima. 100 of them were from CT.

Twenty two Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines for individual acts of bravery during Iwo ~ more than for any other battle in history. "Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue" was said of our Marines on Iwo. US Navy Corpsmen accounted for an additional five Medals of Honor during the battle.

Of the 22,000 Japanese defenders, only 200 of them were taken prisoner. Almost all of those were wounded, unconscious or overwhelmed when captured. All the rest died fighting or took their own lives rather than surrender. Of the 200 Japanese POWs, only about 100 of them survived their wounds and lived.

All other islands the US had liberated in the war had been foreign soil which the Japanese had captured and occupied. Iwo was much different. Iwo Jima was true Japanese soil. The Mayor of Tokyo was also the Mayor of Iwo Jima. No foreign flag had been planted on Japanese soil in more than 600 years.

On the 5th day of the battle, Fri/23Feb45, two US flags were raised atop Iwo's only hill, Mount Suribachi (the size of "Holy Land" in Waterbury). Photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped a picture of five Marines and a Navy Corpsman raising the second flag, and burned the image of Iwo Jima, the Marine Corps and the US war effort into our hearts and minds forever.

Let's not forget Iwo Jima today. Let's not forget what these men did for us.

OooRah!
Frank

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1970 240Z

Frank,
Your timing is perfect. I walk 5 days a week with an 85 yr old gentleman who was there. George was one of the lucky Marines who walked away with only a minor wound earning him the Purple Heart. If the subject comes up he will speak in generalities. Otherwise he never mentions it. He also saw action on Guam.
On Monday morning at coffee I will raise my cup to George and say thanks for a job well done.
Thanks for the tip.
Alan

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2007 350Z Grand Touring Roadster "OURZ"

You're privileged to know him. Tell George I said thank you.

Please also tell him I wore my Dress Blues to the last (as in "FINAL") annual reunion of the Iwo Jima Survivors Association in Branford last year. It was an honor to finally meet the survivors of this battle.

After 65 years, these heroes have become too few and too frail to travel from across the country to meet every year. Many of them still struggle with the life-changing wounds they received on Iwo, when they were 20 year-olds 65 years ago. I think there are only a couple hundred of them left alive today.

But every year, from 1946 until 2010, all of them gathered together somewhere in the USA. Many of them have been back to Iwo since the war, returning with some of the infamous 'black sand of Iwo Jima', which is revered more than gold among all Marines today.

These men have blended quietly back into our society after their war. They seldom speak about it. It's a common trait among them. I guess it was just too hideous an experience to share easily or openly.

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1970 240Z

Thanks for that excellent recap/synopsis, Frank. You know how we
vets get into interservice rivalries and all, the least of which is arguing
over which is the better service, but which can escalate into name-
calling, intense shouting, and even fisticuffs at times. But having
fought right alongside the Jarheads (spoken here with admiration) in
Quang Tri Province along the Ben Hai River which separates South
from North Viet Nam, I want everybody to know that any war that I
am ever in, I want them on my side and not fighting against me!

I am blessed and privileged to have as a friend and comrade-in-arms,
one Mr. Frank Talarczyk, who is spending the winter in FL. I met and
became friends with Frank at the North Branford Senior Center, which
Kathy and I began to attend a few months ago. Frank, in WWII with
the Marines, served in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Iwo Jima, and I
forgot what other battles/campaigns he mentioned. He is now 88
years of age and in good health, and wears his "Iwo Jima Survivor"
baseball cap with both pride and dignity.

And what a fine gentleman. At some point in time I hope I can
persuade him to tell me about some of his experiences, as long as it
would not serve to reopen painful memories. I know all too well about
PTSD, and I would not inflict that upon Frank.

All Z Best and SEMPER FI to every U.S. Marine who ever served his
country honorably.
~Rick~

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All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

And Saturday, 26Mar11, marks the 66th anniversary of Iwo Jima being declared SECURE.

After 36 days of hell, the Marines handed the island over to the US Army, and the Army Air Corps began routine use of Iwo's three airfields.

Iwo remains the costliest battle the Marine Corps has ever fought, before or since. 1/3 of all US Marines killed during WWII, died on tiny Iwo Jima. More than 19,000 Marines were wounded, and 6,821 died on Iwo.

Fewer than 1% of the 22,000 Japanese defenders survived the battle. The final two (2) Japanese defenders climbed up out of the underground tunnels and surrendered to the US Army garrison there, THREE YEARS after the battle ended (Jan/1948). They had seen a Stars and Stripes newspaper photograph of American GIs celebrating New Years Eve in downtown Tokyo, 1947/48, and knew Japan had lost the war.

They were well fed, wore full uniforms, and surrendered fully-functional weapons.

22 Marines and 5 Navy Corpsmen were awarded Medals of Honor for heroism on Iwo, more than in any other single battle in US history.

I will remember these men often on Saturday.

OooRah!
Frank

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1970 240Z

Frank T,
You are really on top of what is important.
On Wednesday, Nancy and I attended a reception at Cheshire High for all vets, with a special invite to those who served in WWII. We went with George and his wife, and two other vets who served in the war and their wives (one wife was a nurse cadet). Some still fit in their original uniforms.
The Cheshire students really did a great job with lots of research and posters, photos, a collection of old letters found in an old house recently demolished. Coffee and a multitude of home-made cookies were served by the students. Prayers were said in recognition of the greatest generation by local clergy and taps sounded by a member of the band. That's when my eyes became glassy.
The evening ended with a performance of South Pacific just for the vets and their spouses. It was a wonderful affair that will be remembered for a long time.
I am proud to have served my 3yrs in the USArmy and lucky not to have endured combat.
Alan

See you at the first meeting.

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2007 350Z Grand Touring Roadster "OURZ"

Alan, I happened to drop into a tool store in Wallingford, at which
the young clerk at the counter and another man, a customer, were
discussing that very thing. The young man is a student at Cheshire
HS and has chosen an elective that seems to include military history.

I listened quite intently, hoping that I wouldn't be perceived as an
eavesdropper. The young man noticed my Veteran cap and asked
whether I had been at the event you cited.

As I replied that I hadn't, I wished that I had.

FWIW,............~Rick~

God bless all that have and that have yet to serve.

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Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster