U.S. Vets Return To Iwo Jima

Above, with Mount Suribachi in the background, a U.S. 37mm cannon fires against Japanese cave positions on Iwo Jima.

70 years ago, the taking of the island of Iwo Jima in February 1945 was one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

Today, veterans of that 36-day battle returned for a Reunion of Honor ceremony on the island, now called Ioto on Japanese maps.

According to Japan Today:

IOTO, Japan —Dozens of aging U.S. veterans gathered on the tiny, barren island of Iwo Jima on Saturday to mark one of the bloodiest and most iconic battles of World War II 70 years ago. 

The vets, many in the early 90s and some in wheelchairs, toured the black sand beaches where they invaded the deeply dug-in forces of the island’s Japanese defenders.

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