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Battle of Iwo Jima — Returning to the Black Sands

Dad was there with E29, a replacement sent in on day 2 from E23 that was in reserve. He was in the AO around Motoyama 2 airfield.
They cleared Cushman's Pocket with BARs and flamethrowers.
Howlin Mad Smith said they would take Iwo in 10 days. He was off a little. Before it was over Dad was sent by Col. Cushman to take command of F Co. as there were no officers or NCOs to assume command so Cpl.Charles Moore found F Co. a few PFCs and Pvts, some right out of boot camp and one radio.
Dad is gone now, but never forgotten.
 
Dad was there with E29, a replacement sent in on day 2 from E23 that was in reserve. He was in the AO around Motoyama 2 airfield.
They cleared Cushman's Pocket with BARs and flamethrowers.
Howlin Mad Smith said they would take Iwo in 10 days. He was off a little. Before it was over Dad was sent by Col. Cushman to take command of F Co. as there were no officers or NCOs to assume command so Cpl.Charles Moore found F Co. a few PFCs and Pvts, some right out of boot camp and one radio.
Dad is gone now, but never forgotten.
Dad was there with E29, a replacement sent in on day 2 from E23 that was in reserve. He was in the AO around Motoyama 2 airfield.
They cleared Cushman's Pocket with BARs and flamethrowers.
Howlin Mad Smith said they would take Iwo in 10 days. He was off a little. Before it was over Dad was sent by Col. Cushman to take command of F Co. as there were no officers or NCOs to assume command so Cpl.Charles Moore found F Co. a few PFCs and Pvts, some right out of boot camp and one radio.
Dad is gone now, but never forgotten.
What is E29? E23, please
 
Wow what an incredible article by a living legend, Capt. Dale Dye. I was just a lowly combat engineer in Iraq, didn’t go through anything even remotely close to what the Marines went through on Iwo Jima and can’t even imagine how hard the fighting was for the Leathernecks and Soldiers in the Pacific Campaign. I’m sure they know that we younger soldiers look up to the Greatest Generation with awe and respect and gratitude for the hell they went through to make the world safe from fascism but if not, I’m going to have a glass of whiskey in their honor tonight.
 
February 23, 1945: During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest peak and most strategic position, and raise the U.S. flag.

 
Most folks dont know the famous photo was of the second flag raising. Corpsman John Bradley was in the first flag raising and an unknown Marine named Schultz was in the second. This confusion took years to sort out.
I have a picture of my Dad, who was there with the 9th Marines and Charles Lindbergh in my bookshelf.
Lindbergh was the last surviving Iwo flag raisers.
 
My Dad was there. He was a Navy Doctor aboard USS Mellette (APA 156) He was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division as a Beach Medical Officer for the Iwo Jima invasion. He was supposed to go ashore on day 3 with the 3rd MARDIV. At about 2100 on D-day an orderly told him "Get your gear, LT. The Japs have knocked out every aid station on the beach. You're going ashore now. " Dad landed in the middle of the invasion beach at midnight after the assault began. He said when the sun came up all he could see in both directions was wreckage and bodies. The pictures of the wreckage on the invasion beach and the medical aid station really reminded me of my Dad's stories. By the way, Dad never talked about Iwo Jima until the 90's when we went to a couple of Iwo Jima reunions together. Thank you for a great article. I'm sending the link out to our family.
 
God bless him. Dad was with 3rd MarDiv and went ashore on day 2.
In 94 Dad went back to Guam for the 50th anniversary of the Liberation. I wished his brother had still been alive to go with him. He was in the 307th Inf. They met each other there in a tearful reunion. The soldiers and Marines all joined in.
In 95 a bunch of his old buddies went back to Iwo for the 50th
anniversary. Dad never vould. He said I dont know why they wanted to back to that G@$ Da%$#& place.
 
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