Unforgotten

Veteran Community Remembers 75th Anniversary of Iwo Jima

Story and photos by Tyler Francke, Veterans News Magazine

The Battle of Iwo Jima is one that looms large in the annals of America’s military chronicles. It brings to mind fierce fighting, great courage, terrible loss and a tremendous victory — a victory many historians believe was vital in turning the tide of the war in the Allies’ favor.

It was the site of one of the most iconic and enduring images in United States history: the flag raising at Mount Suribachi. It was also the place where more than 6,800 courageous soldiers — almost all of them U.S. Marines — paid the ultimate price in service to their nation. It was the largest single loss of life in the long and storied history of the United States Marine Corps.

An estimated 18,000 Japanese service members also gave their lives in the five weeks of struggle that featured some of the bloodiest fighting of the war.

The Young Marines youth organization reenacts the flag raising at Mount Suribachi at the Ackerman Center in Canby during its annual Iwo Jima Remembrance Ceremony on Feb. 22, 2020.

The battle is remembered not only for the high loss of life, but also the incredible valor that was on display -- producing more Medal of Honor awardees than any other single battle in American history.

As U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz later said, “Among the Americans serving on Iwo island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

It all happened in February 1945 — 75 years ago this year — and it’s a story that Martin Lackner, a Gulf War Marine veteran and the commander of the Canby/ Aurora VFW Post 6057, believes America must never forget.

It’s for that reason that he’s dedicated himself to continuing the annual Iwo Jima Flag Raising Commemoration, which is held each year at the small but well-tended Iwo Jima Memorial in Canby. The event, which has been held since the memorial was first dedicated 25 years ago, is unique in the state of Oregon, and even the country, Lackner says.

“That particular event is not just unique to Canby, but unique nationally,” he tells Veterans News Magazine. “Just to recognize one particular event in a ceremony like this. Iwo Jima was pivotal to winning the war in the Pacific.”

The ceremony includes many of the typical elements — speeches, flag raisings, a 21-gun salute — as well as a few that are specific to a remembrance of Iwo Jima.

One of the more poignant aspects involves World War II veterans, their survivors, and other honored guests being invited to sprinkle a small packet of Iwo Jima black sand on the lichen-covered stone memorial, in remembrance of their brothers-in-arms who gave their lives on those same sands years ago.

“We have several veterans who have returned to the island of Iwo Jima over the years — to that famous black sand,” Lackner said. “And they do allow you to bring back a certain amount of the sand. We have had enough given to us that we are able to present some of that to veterans and their survivors.

World War II veterans Howard Thomas and Louis Boesel, both of whom served during the Battle of Iwo Jima, sprinkle sand on a memorial rock during a remembrance ceremony earlier this year.

“By scattering a piece of that island on the memorial — it makes a connection between the two. It becomes a part of the island.”

The veterans are escorted during the sand ceremony by the Young Marines youth organization, who also put on another important piece of the event: a reenactment of the flag-raising at Mount Suribachi.

In the early days, there were many more veterans of that era — including those who had fought at Iwo Jima — who were able to attend and participate, Lackner said.

Now, they are far fewer — but no less proud.

“That’s why I do it: I want to honor them while they’re here,” Lackner says. “As a veteran myself, our sacrifice pales in comparison to the sacrifices they made. It’s important to let them know that we haven’t forgotten, while they’re still here.”

He says his appreciation — and what should also be the appreciation of the entire country — extends to the Greatest Generation as a whole, not only those who served in uniform.

“We have experienced a time of prosperity in this nation that just would not be possible without what they did,” he said. “And we can never forget that. We can’t forget what the cost of everything we have was, and the people who paid that cost.”

Sadly, the Greatest Generation is disappearing at an alarming rate, with most of those who served or otherwise participated in the war effort now in their late 80s or 90s.

Lackner, though, says the Canby ceremony will continue, even on the sad day that there are no longer any WWII veterans to thank in person.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Because the story needs to be told. And it needs to be told forever.”

This year’s ceremony also included a special — and unplanned — twist, as WWII Marine paratrooper Robin C. Barrett, who celebrated his 20th birthday by storming the black sands of Iwo Jima, spent time afterward with a large group from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, sharing stories and wisdom gathered from his remarkable life.

“It’s important for them to know the legacy that they represent,” Lackner said of the Marine recruits. “That they literally have a responsibility to men and women like Robin. The flag gets passed down as time goes on, and they’re carrying the flag for us now.”

Barrett passed away in April of this year at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon. He was 95.