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WWII Iwo Jima Veterans Mark 75 Years Since Legendary Battle
by U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Royce Dorman
March 1,
2020
On Feb. 19, 1945, more than 70,000 U.S. Marines conducted an
amphibious assault to take the Island of Iwo Jima from fortified
Japanese forces. Over the next 36 days nearly 7,000 Marines would be
killed during the battle, which is regarded as one of the bloodiest
of World War II, as they faced hidden enemy artillery, machine guns,
vast bunker systems and underground tunnels. Of the 82 Marines who
earned the Medal of Honor during all of World War II, 22 medals were
earned for actions on Iwo Jima.
Now, 75 years later, 28
Marines and Sailors who fought on Iwo Jima gathered to remember the
battle at the 75th and final commemoration sunset ceremony February
15, 2020, at the Pacific Views Event Center on Camp Pendleton,
California.
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February 15, 2020 - Iwo Jima veterans, along with more than 100 others in attendance, stand and salute during the national anthem at the 75th Commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima sunset ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Twenty-eight Iwo Jima veterans attended the event, which is the final commemoration ceremony scheduled by the committee and included a wreath laying, 21-gun artillery salute, a remembrance for the fallen with “Taps”, and a traditional cake-cutting ceremony featuring the oldest and youngest Marines present. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Royce Dorman)
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“It’s very special to be a part of this ceremony,” said William
“Bill” Wayne, an Iwo Jima veteran whose fellow Marines of Easy
Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, raised
the flag on Mount Suribachi. “I get a real kick out of coming and
seeing everyone and talking to the young Marines.”
In 1945,
the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions landed at Iwo Jima as part of
V Amphibious Corps, a large type of composited unit which evolved
over the decades since into units in today’s Marine Corps, such as I
Marine Expeditionary Force.
“These Marines and Sailors who fought on Iwo Jima are made of grit,
determination and a fighting spirit to succeed. This same eternal
spirit is embodied by our Marines and Sailors serving today,” said
Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, commanding general, I MEF. “Our force
stands just as ready to fight and win in an increasingly contested
Indo-Pacific area, largely in part because of the sacrifices and
lessons learned from those Marines and Sailors who fought in battles
like Iwo Jima 75 years ago.”
The Iwo Jima Commemorative
Committee, along with Marine Corps Installations – West, hosted the
veterans on Feb. 13 for a tour of tour of Camp Pendleton’s
facilities, where they had a chance to share their legacy with
present day Marines while sharing a meal at a base dining facility.
The Iwo Jima veterans also toured Marine Corps Recruit Depot San
Diego on Feb. 14. The sunset commemoration ceremony is the signature
event of their three-day visit, and has been hosted by Camp
Pendleton for more than 30 years.
According to Jerry
Blandford, a retired Marine Corps master sergeant and committee
coordinator, the Iwo Jima veterans do a little bit of everything.
They visit the Marine Memorial Garden, eat lunch with young Marines
and on Saturday they attend the culminating ceremony.
The
two-part ceremony began around sunset, and as the crowd grew still,
all eyes were focused on the two uniformed Marines who slowly walked
forward carrying a wreath and placed it in front of the Iwo Jima
memorial here. The silence was broken by the tolling of the mission
bell ringing for those who didn’t return from the island’s black
sand beaches.
“It’s on their backs that our reputation as
Marines stands,” said Blandford. “We owe them a debt of gratitude.
The world would be a whole different place had it not been for
them.”
As the group remembered the nearly 7,000 killed in the
battle in rapt silence, a Marine artilleryman standing nearby raised
and then sharply lowered his arm. “FIRE!” Instantly, the shaking
boom of a ceremonial howitzer cannon fired, and the three cannons
fired in time until all seven volleys from the each of the canons
sounded the 21-gun salute.
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February 15, 2020 -
Twenty-eight Iwo Jima veterans and members of the Iwo Jima
Commemorative Committee pose for a group photo after the
75th Commemoration of the Battle of Iwo Jima ceremony at
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The event concluded the final commemoration ceremony scheduled by the committee and included a wreath laying, 21-gun artillery salute, a remembrance for the fallen with “Taps”, and a traditional cake-cutting ceremony featuring the oldest and youngest Marines present. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Royce Dorman)
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“Normally the 21-gun salute is
reserved for presidents and funerals. The Marine Corps has made an
exception for the purpose of saying goodbye to their fallen
brethren,” said Blandford.
As the noise from the guns faded
and the smoke cleared, the shrill and somber notes of “Taps” were
played by a pair of Marines from the 1st Marine Division Band and
the storied faces of the Iwo Jima veterans could be seen with looks
of reflection as many of them stood and saluted. Seventy-five years
ago they were young men storming a beach. Today, they are the “Old
Breed” being honored by the next generation of Marines who have
taken up their mantle.
“If not for them, then who would we
ever do it for? I think we [honor these veterans] because we can’t
do any less, and I’m happy to be a part of this to pay it forward,”
said Blandford.
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