Mark Kreymborg had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a landmark a few years ago. This is his story.
It takes a special person to volunteer to risk his or her life for his country. Every American owes a huge debt to every man and woman who has ever volunteered to take up this challenge for people he or she does not even know.
America is bigger and better than all of us can be as individuals.
I am an amateur World War II historian and had the opportunity to visit the island of Iwo Jima, the site of one of the most difficult battles in the history of the United States Marine Corps and the location of one of the most famous pictures in the history of cameras. For me, the tour started on Guam, joining up with a group tour of Pacific battlefields. Eight Marines who fought on Iwo Jima were in the group, most were wounded during the battle. Even though these guys are legitimate heroes, it was hard to tell -- they were humble, respectful, friendly, and sad at times, and not too sure they were heroes but just doing their job. Thanks, guys.
The two-hour plane ride was uneventful. Just about everybody on the tour was a vet, a family member of a vet who fought at Iwo -- in some cases, three generations making the pilgrimage together. Many were not on their first visit. I felt out of place, with no sacrifice on this remote island to fall back on or tie me to the battle. You could tell when the island came into view. The plane slowly became silent. Mt. Suribachi, the geographic and emotional symbol of this unique pork chop-shaped island came into view first. No announcement was made. Soon you could hear the sniffles and then see the tears. I kind of started to understand the magnitude of where we were going. I could sense it, feel the emotion; it was tangible, sitting on that plane watching the people who had made the landing here 64 years ago. The plane circled the island twice, from both directions, so everybody could get a good look. I still get a chill in my spine when I look at the picture from that moment in time.
Iwo Jima is only 8 square miles, yet there were over 100,000 people fighting for the island. There were more than 450 Navy ships around the island, and thousands of airmen on nearby islands helping. It was not as crowded as you may think, the enemy was underground and mostly invisible inside many miles of tunnels, dugouts, caves and bunkers spread over the rocky, barren island, most of which could and did withstand direct hits by large bombs and shells. After 74 straight days of bombing and three days of naval bombardment, not much was alive above ground. Many Marines never saw a live enemy. How hard was the battle for Iwo Jima? It was the only battle in the 170-year history of the USMC where the Marines suffered more casualties than the enemy.
How brave were the heroes who fought there? During World War II, there were 335 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded, while there were about 10,000,000 Americans in uniform. Twenty-seven of these medals were awarded for action at Iwo Jima, 22 Marines and five Navy Corpsmen (who were the frontline medics working with the Marines). What made Pvt. George Phillips from Rich Hill, Mo., in combat for only two days as a replacement, jump on a hand grenade to save three Marines he hardly knew? What made 2nd Lt. John Leims crawl back at night, into a rocky battlefield and bring his wounded Marines back? He said they would have done the same thing. I don't know why these heroes did what they did. I doubt they planned it that way; they just did what they had to do. I don't know if I could do it.
John Basilone was one of the casualties at Iwo Jima. He did not have to be there. He already won the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the battle for Guadalcanal in 1942, later a Navy Cross for his heroism on Iwo Jima. He had a free pass to stay home in safety but decided to go back with the newly formed Fifth Marine Division to "be with my Marines." One of the Marines on my tour helped load Sgt. Basilone's body onto a truck during the fighting. Every Marine then and now knows the story of John Basilone. This hero had a tear in his eye when he told the story 64 years later. To this day, John's hometown of Raritan, N.J., holds a parade in honor of Sgt. John Basilone; and that is now on my bucket list, as Iwo Jima comes off. Thank you for being heroes.
Another hero on the tour told the story of how he was shot by a machine gun "several" times and evacuated to the beach. Keep in mind, during most of the battle, the beach at Iwo Jima was not safe, there was no "frontline" or "rear area" on Iwo Jima, the enemy had too many hidden gun positions to knock them all out quickly. Since his wounds were life-threatening, the operation that saved his life was performed on the beach, in the volcanic ash that covered everything. He was later taken to a hospital ship and returned home. When the tour group went down to the beach, he took some of that ash as a souvenir. I want to thank the medical team that helped save his life, and him for going back to Iwo Jima so I could meet him.
Cy was underage when he talked his way into the Marine Corps. Iwo Jima was his third invasion at the ripe old age of 16. I know what I was doing at 16, and it was not fighting for my country on a remote island. Thank you, Cy.
General Fred Haynes was a young captain who landed early on Iwo Jima. He fought the entire 36 days and planned many attacks, later rising to the rank of Major General. Many U.S. Marines were on hand for the tour and the Reunion of Honor ceremony that took place near where the cemeteries were located. They treated General Haynes like a rock star, although it was hard to tell from talking to him that he was a hero. As the operations officer for the 28th Regimental Combat Team of the Fifth Marine Division, General Haynes planned many of the attacks that took place during the 36-day battle. His book, "The Lions of Iwo Jima," is certainly written from firsthand experience. Haynes was a true hero in many ways to many people, and as he spoke at the ceremony. At 92 years of age, he was talking about the next book he was writing and said to look out for it. Thanks, General Haynes, I am proud to have met you.
Here are the heroes at the Reunion of Honor site:
As for the 28th Regimental Combat Team, that group raised both of the flags on Iwo Jima, the first one on the morning of Feb. 23, and the second one later on the same day. The first patrol to the top of Mt. Suribachi was led by 1st Lt. Harold Schrier, directed there to put up a flag by Lt. Col. Chandler Johnson, another hero who did not survive the battle. Three of six Marines who helped raise each flag did not survive the battle, three of the six survivors were wounded. Some never knew the magnitude of what they did, and those who did just thought they were doing what anybody would have done.
The second flag raising produced the immortal photograph we all have seen. Read John Bradley's great book, "Flags of Our Fathers." His dad was at the raising of both flags. Thanks to Sgt. Boots Thomas, Lt. Schrier, Sgt. Henry Hansen, Cpl. Charles Lindberg, Pvt. Louis Charlo, PFC James Michels, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, James Bradley, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block for raising the flags, and the photographers who brought us the unforgettable images -- Sgt. Bill Genaust, Sgt. Louis Lowery, Pvt. Robert Campbell and Joe Rosenthal. Sgt. Genaust also did not survive the battle and is still somewhere on Iwo Jima.
My father was very proud of his time in the Army. Along with my sister, he helped write his own obituary, saying he wanted no flowers or donations. People should quit smoking, donate a pint of blood, or thank a veteran. I thank every veteran I meet, and thanks to all who read this and I have not met. You should thank them, too.
P.S. Thanks to my niece, Lulu, a Marine headed to Afghanistan very soon.
Editorial on 06/06/2018