P-51's on Iwo Jima

One of the many wonderful things my parents have been able to enjoy in their life is the opportunity to have lived in the South Pacific for several years in Guam. 

While there, my Uncle (dad) Jerry (i can explain later..) was able to experience a trip to Iwo Jima with several men who fought there.  They told him stories of how they saw so many young soldiers sacrifice their lives for this great country on that island.  He recently emailed me with the message below ..and I am posting it with his permission. . 

"When I was in Guam (2002) I was privileged to take part in flying a military 'tour' group to Iwo Jima as part of a yearly reunion type thing. We flew around the island one direction, then back the other way before landing (so the vets(age 75 +) could see from their side of the plane) for a day's tour and activities. Many were still nervous about returning here.

Each year there were fewer veterans around that made the trip. The year I flew the group up we had about 20 or so guys that had been there those many years ago. Many had their wives with them. And many had never mentioned the mental anguish they had acquired there. When we landed there was a 'huge' group of young marines there lined up to honor these vets when they came off the plane.

The young marines were from Japan, Okinawa, and Pendleton that were there on maneuvers and were there also to learn of past history and glory and of respect that was won by these men. We went around the island (very small, 2 miles by 5 miles...1/3 the size of Manhattan Island), and went up on Mt Suribachi and gazed down on those black beaches where so many lost their lives. Many of these old Marines would stand there looking out over this very small island and tears would just flow down their cheeks with their wives standing right beside them, not having realized for all those years that something would affect their husbands quite like that. They just had never talked about it.

On this island in only 36 days there were 25,851 Marine casualties of which 6,821 died. Nanc and I ate dinner the night before with some of these men and one told us he was 16 when he landed on Iwo Jima. There were 150 guys in his company when they hit the beach and 2 days later he was one of 3 left! They then selected him to be part of a burial detail and they just collected bodies on the beach for the next couple of weeks. There were about 21,000 Japanese deaths here. By taking this island 24,751 Army Air Corps crewmen were saved from ditching in the cold waters of the north Pacific on their way back from Japanese bombing raids initiated from Tinian and Guam.

I have some of the sand from those beaches today here in my office. When you see someone disrespecting the US Flag....well, they need to be very careful where they do it! Needless to say it was a very solemn day and very awe inspiring. It is a national shrine for the Japanese. They lost many more and they are mostly still there. I wish everyone could take that tour and spend a day there...sorry I got to going so long here, but when you see that flag being raised on Suribachi...well, I was right there...it is and was something....jer

Here are some of the best WWII pictures I have seen. Don't know where they came from.

Be patient, the picture interface is a little testy but very interesting content."

Good stuff.. Thanks for sharing Jerry!

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

** this is a repost from American Flagpole & Flag Co.



The December 7th, 1941, Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. It is often referred to as "The Day that will live in Infamy". In one carefully planned and well executed stroke the Japanese Empire removed the United States Navy's battleship force as a possible threat and propelled the United States into the Second World War as a full combatant.

By late November 1941, with peace negotiations clearly approaching an end, informed U.S. officials fully expected a Japanese attack into the Indies, Malaya and probably the Philippines as well. Completely unanticipated was the prospect that Japan would attack east as well.

On the morning of December 7th, 1941, the incoming Japanese attack planes were detected by radar and reported, but were mistaken for an incoming group of American planes due from the mainland. While on practice maneuvers outside the harbor that morning, an American destroyer spotted a Japanese submarine attempting to sneak into the harbor. The submarine was fired upon, immediately reported and ignored.
About 360 Japanese attack planes had launched at dawn from aircraft carriers in an attack force of about 33 ships. At 7:55 am the first bombs and torpedoes were dropped. After two hours, the U.S. sustained 18 ships sunk or severely damaged, about 170 aircraft destroyed, and there were more than 3,000 casualties. Japanese casualties were minimal.

On December 7, all US flags at federal, state and public facilities in the United States will be flown at half-staff, in commemoration of the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. This historic day will allow all Americans to remember the infamous attack by Japanese forces on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, as well as celebrate the valor and dedication shown by a brave generation of Americans during the World War II. December 7, 1941, according to US Navy Chief Admiral Michael G. Mullen, was "not just a day of infamy, but in many ways it was a day of discovery for America and for the world. It changed us, it hurt us, but it also made us stronger, as did September 11."

The US Congress, according to Public Law 103 308, has officially designated the seventh day of December as the "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day." On this solemn occasion, the nation pays homage to the perseverance and heroism shown by many in the face of extremely overwhelming odds. This holiday allows the nation to commemorate the sacrifices made by the valiant members of the US Armed Forces, as well as to celebrate the victory over the forces of fascism, oppression and isolationism. This day also bodes well for igniting the patriotic spirit in each of us.

**this is a repost from American Flagpole & Flag Co.**


- straight from my iPhone4.