Remembering Iwo Jima
Sixty-five years ago today, a flag was raised on Iwo Jima and the photograph of that moment became an iconic symbol of World War II.
As more and more veterans of the war succumb to the ravages of age and die, it becomes ever more important to remember their sacrifices.
Iwo Jima was an especially bloody battle, and showed the Americans how surrender was not in the Japanese lexicon.
Some say the battle cemented the decision to use the A-bomb at Hiroshima.
Whatever the case, it is one of few individual battles from the war that remains in the collective consciousness.
So today, we commemorate those remaining veterans of one of modern history’s bloodiest battles.
This article, from the Hartford Courant, is the 2003 obituary of George Gentile, an Iwo Jima veteran who founded a survivors group and almost single-handedly got a memorial to the battle built in Connecticut.
This article, from the Orlando Sentinel, is from the 50th anniversary of the battle in 1995, when then-President Bill Clinton spoke at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to an audience of hundreds of elderly survivors of Iwo Jima.
Finally, this article, from the Los Angeles Times in 2007, details how Japan was changing the name of Iwo Jima to its original, pre-war name, Iwo To, at the urging of its inhabitants. Not surprisingly, U.S. veterans were unhappy about the change, but even some Japanese veterans disliked it.
On this solemn day, we salute the veterans who fought there.
