Commemoration The Battle for Iwo Jima


ON 23 FEBRUARY, A CROWD OF Iwo Jima survivors, their families and other Veterans gathered for lunch to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Battle for Iwo Jima and to hear our Guest of Honor, Iwo Jima Veteran Richard Burress, speak.


Richard Burress (in photo at lower right) was one of 400 mem- bers of a special Officer Candi- dates School at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, convened to train replacement officers for the US Marine Corps operations pending against Japan. The 400 members were trained, commissioned, and rushed to the Pacific Theater of Operations. Half would be sent to the 3rd


, 4th and 5th Marine Divi-


sions scheduled to land on Iwo Jima in February 1945; the remain- der would be assigned to the 1st and 6th


Marine Divisions sched- uled to land on Okinawa begin- ning in April 1945.


Second Lieutenant Burress was assigned as a replacement officer to the 4th


Marine Division des-


tined for the landing on Iwo Jima. On 22 February 1945, four days


, 2nd


after the Division landed on Iwo, he joined Baker Company, 1st talion, 23rd


Bat- Marine Regiment. He


would lead First Platoon, Baker Company, through the rest of the epic battle.


Using photos of the Marines fighting, Burress’ presentation was riveting. He told us about the countless selfless acts of bravery of his Marines. He talked about some timeless tactical lessons learned. In one of his first days on the island, he recalled being handed a cup of coffee at the Company command post. As the company meeting adjourned, Lieutenant Burress intended to pause there and enjoy the rest of his warm beverage. At the urgent behest of his platoon sergeant, a veteran of Saipan and Tinian, he dumped the coffee and set off for his pla-


toon position. Seconds later a Japanese mortar round slammed into the company command post, killing or wounding all still gathered there. That les- son — “…don’t bunch up, keep as dispersed as pos- sible on the battlefield” — was to save his life again and again during the rest of the campaign on Iwo. Burress fought in one of America’s bloodiest


battles. In the 36 days of fighting, there were 25,851 US casualties. One in three Americans was killed or wounded. The Japanese suffered almost 22,000 killed and 1,100 captured. More US Marines earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima than in any other battle in US History. Commander, Pacific Fleet/Command- er in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said:


“Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”


Today, Richard Burress lives and works at Stan- ford University, where he is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Following his service as a Marine Officer, his distinguished career included serving as an agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and as legal counsel serving on Capitol Hill and in the White House during the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations.


Photos: Michael Mustacchi Crossroads Spring 2011 13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36