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.

To read more, go here. 

U.S. Marine Veterans Returning To Iwo Jima To Mark 70th Anniversary

Above, the famous flag-raising photograph by Joe Rosenthal on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima on Februrary 23, 1945.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima, U.S. Marine veterans will make a journey to the island next month.

According to the Washington Times:

A return trip to the scene of one of World War II’s most famous and costly battles will not be easy for former Marines in their 80s and 90s. 

But a group of about 45 American veterans of the battle of Iwo Jima, some needing financial help, plan to make the long journey March 21 for a 70th anniversary ceremony in the shadow of Mount Suribachi and the 1945 iconic flag-raising.

There will be no Japanese counterparts. The dwindling cadre of the initial 1,083 survivors, who first had fought in China and were older than the primarily teenage American force, have grown too frail to travel. But hundreds of bereaved Japanese family members will join Americans who also lost loved ones in the February-to-March 1945 struggle.

To read more, go here.