Iwo Jima
"Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was. What was in doubt was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gunner," Major General Graves Erskine, dedicating his 3rd Marine Division cemetery at Iwo Jima just after the battle.(Alexander 207)
The sea invasion of Iwo Jima was and still is the largest of any in all the years of the United States Marine Corps history. This invasion was also the most devastating. More than 26,000 Marines lost their lives while when trying to take over this small volcanic island. Pretty much all of the twenty-one thousand Japanese soldiers protecting the island were killed only two thousand were taken as prisoners. The rest were killed or missing. "Tokyo was just 650 miles to the North, less than three hours' flight time." (Alexander 208). On February 23, 1945 seventy-two thousand Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima with all their guns blazing. Dodging and weaving the heavy fire from the Japanese's m.g.s, they had mounted in the jagged rocks. But that was the least of the Marines worries they had heavy 320mm mortars and powerful rockets. And their wicked 25mm automatic machine cannons. That was just the landing these Marines went to hell and back before it was all over.
The landscape of Iwo Jima was hellish itself. From the large jagged volcanic mountains to the steamed it leaked that smelt like sulfur. The total area of this little hell is less than seven square miles. The island had many aspects that would favor the defender. The island had few beaches, which made it harder for enemies to invade and take the island over. Also it had a "lunar" like landscape with du...
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Semper Fi
Works Cited
Alexander, Col. Joseph H. A Fellowship of Valor. New York: Harper Collins, 1997
Buell, Hal. "The Forgotten Hero." Journal Star Parade 20 February 2005, pg 4-5
Marling, Karal Ann. Iwo Jima. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991
Parry, Col. Francis Fox. Three-War Marine. Pacifica, Cali.: Pacifica Press, 1987
Siefring, Thomas A. History of the United States Marines. New York: Frederick Fell Publishers, 1979
References
Alexander, Col. Joseph H. A Fellowship of Valor. New York: Harper Collins, 1997
Buell, Hal. "The Forgotten Hero." Journal Star Parade 20 February 2005, pg 4-5
Marling, Karal Ann. Iwo Jima. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991
Parry, Col. Francis Fox. Three-War Marine. Pacifica, Cali.: Pacifica Press, 1987
Siefring, Thomas A. History of the United States Marines. New York: Frederick Fell Publishers, 1979
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Davis, William. "General Douglas MacArthur "Duty, Honor, Country"." American Rhetoric. American Rhetoric, 2011. Web. 2 Jan 2012. .
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