Iwo Jima The Battle of All Battles Kenneth Reige

Iwo Jima

The Battle of All Battles

There are many “signature” battles in the Marine Corps History. WW1 has the “Battle of Belleau Wood”,” Korea “The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir,” Vietnam “The Battle of Khe Sahn” and the Global War on Terror “The Battle of Fallujah” but in WW2 the “Battle of Iwo Jima” cemented the legacy of the United States Marine Corps.

By Kenneth Reige The Battle of Iwo Jima started

USAF Veteran on 19 February and ended on 25 March 1945 was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps and Navy captured from the Imperial Japanese Army. The main purpose of capturing the island were its two airfields designated South Field and Central Field.

Here is a map of Iwo Jima. Many who fought there said it resembled a burnt pork chop.

This is considered the most iconic photo of WW2, which was taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press at the top of Mount Suribachi.

Here is the beautiful Marine Corps Memorial in Washington D.C.

This picture was taken at the 2018 Duke City Marathon. Always such an honor getting to visit with Mr. Begay and hear his stories.

I have had the extreme honor of meeting several veterans from that battle. Here is a picture of myself with US Marine and Navajo Code Talker Mr. Thomas Begay.

Here I am with US Marine and Medal of Honor Recipient Mr. Hershel “Woody” Williams. Woody is the last surviving MOH Recipient from WW2 and at the age of 98 he is the oldest living MOH Recipient. This was taken at the 2017 Medal of Honor Convention in Pueblo, CO. Woody had just presented me with the Woody Williams MOH Foundation Honorary Board Member Medal.

As with all my stories I like to share a picture of a display from the Comfort Suites in Gallup. This exhibit honors all the brave men who fought there.

There have been many movies made about this battle, but here are a few that are considered the best.

The Sands of Iwo Jima 1949 staring John Wayne.

Flags of our Fathers 2006

Letters from Iwo Jima 2006

I have seen all three of these movies and my personal favorite is Letters from Iwo Jima.

During the 2-month battle 27 Medal of Honors were earned. 22 were Marines and 5 were Navy of which 4 of those from the Navy were Corpsman. 14 of these medals (which comes to 52%) were Posthumous.

A very interesting side note about Jack Lucus. He was born on 14 Feb 1928 and was only 14 years old when he forged his mother’s signature and volunteered for the Marine Corps. He was only a few days past his 17th birthday when on 20 Feb 1945 during the 2nd day of the battle two grenades had landed near where Jack Lucus and other Marines were fighting. He was the only one that noticed the grenades and jumped on 1 and grabbed the other and pushed it as far as he could into the black sand of Iwo.

The book, “Indestructible: The Unforgettable Memoir of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima.” Tells the amazing story of Jack Lucus’ life. I highly encourage everyone to order a copy of this book on Amazon.

As we approach the 77th Anniversary of this everimportant battle please make sure you honor those who fought so hard to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy today. As we all know “Freedom is not Free.”

I will close this story with a quote from one of our nation’s greatest heroes and Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient Jacklyn H. “Jack” Lucus.

“Greater Love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.” From the Revolutionary War, forward, our American service men and women have done that in the name of the freedom you enjoy today.”