The Medal of Honor recipient who became a ‘One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima’

The Medal of Honor recipient who became a ‘One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima’

It had been one week since roughly 60,000 service members rushed ashore the sulfurous outcropping that was Iwo Jima.Despite the island being barely 10 square miles in area, “assault troops,” writes the Naval History and Heritage Command, “were to be subjected to a step-by-step battle of attrition, slowly progressing from one well-defended killing zone to the next.”American air superiority by this late state of the war left the Japanese ground fo…

America 250: Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima

Today, our Nation commemorates the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima—a monumental struggle that advanced the cause of victory in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. Under a clear morning sky on February 19, 1945, the United States Marines prepared to storm the beaches of Iwo Jima, a remote but heavily […] The post America 250: Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima appeared first on Scioto Post.

February 19, 1945: Iwo Jima Invasion Begins — Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone Dies in Heroic Battle

On February 19, 1945, one of the most intense battles of the Pacific War began when U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima. This volcanic outcrop lay about 650 miles south of mainland Japan and had three airfields that American planners believed were essential for supporting long‑range bombing raids. Capturing these fields would provide a base for fighter escorts and a place where damaged bombers could land after raids over the Japanese h…