Commemorate, Educate and Serve Commemoration The Battle for Iwo Jima
on 23 february 2012, a crowd gathered in the Marines’ Memorial Club to commemorate the Battle for Iwo Jima. On the occasion of the 67th Anniversary, 38 Iwo Jima survivors, their families and other Veterans gathered for lunch and to hear our Guest of Honor, Lieuten- ant General Larry Snowden, speak. The statistics of the Iwo Jima Battle that started on 19 February 1945 demonstrate the ferocity of the fighting. In 36 days of fight- ing, there were 25,851 US casual- ties. One in three Americans were 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/Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz said:
“Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.” Following lunch, we introduced General Snowden as our keynote
speaker. General Snowden was the company commander of Company F, 23rd Marines on Iwo Jima. When he landed there in February 1945, he had plenty of combat experi- ence, having also fought in the bat- tles for Roi Namur in the Marshall Islands, and the capture of Saipan and Tinian in 1944. In the battle on Iwo Jima, he was wounded and evacuated back to the ship. They dressed his wounds and he then became one of only two Marines wounded who requested to return to the island to resume the fight. General Snowden commented that his company was his “family” and
he had to rejoin them.
After the war, General Snowden earned a Masters Degree from Northwestern University and remained in the Marine Corps, serving as a battalion commander in the Korean War and a regimental commander in the Vietnam War. When he retired, he was the Chief of Staff at Headquarters Marine Corps, wearing two Distinguished Service Medals, five Legion of Merit awards, two Purple Hearts, and a chest full of other ribbons.
After his time with us for the Iwo Jima commemo- ration in San Francisco, General Snowden led the American contingent on the annual trip to Iwo Jima where the Americans and Japanese commemorate those who lost their lives in that horrific battle. In his talk, General Snowden talked directly to the Iwo Jima survivors, telling them that they set the standards for combat effectiveness against which all Marines have been measured since. He proudly said the Marines fighting in Afghanistan today are meeting those high standards as well as Marines ever have. The audience gave him a standing ovation!
All event photos: Michael Mustacchi Photos: Michael Mustacchi, Gene Choi Crossroads Spring 2012 7
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