There are 7 comments.

1. Thatcher
   Bryan G. Stephens

   God Bless them

2. Member
   RightAngles

   I had never seen this!

3. Podcaster
   EJHill

   Joe Rosenthal, the AP photographer that took the photo was modest about his work. “I took the picture,” he said, “the Marines took Iwo Jima.”

4. Member
   Jules PA

   A right and true memorial. 

5. Member
   Miffed White Male

   PJ O’Rourke went to visit Iwo Jima in 2004 and wrote about it here:

   https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/2004/06/orourke.htm

    

   The three of us were guests on a trip that is offered periodically to young enlisted Marines in recognition of exemplary performance and attitude. The journey is spoken of as a “morale booster.” It was July. Iwo Jima is almost on the Tropic of Cancer, parboiled by the North Equatorial Current. In the sun its rocks become charcoal-colored briquettes in a hibachi. The temperature was 100، in the daytime and 100، at night. The humidity was 100 percent. When there was wind, it was an eructation. The volcanic vents on Iwo Jima are still active. The name means “Sulfur Island” in Japanese. The visiting Marines were not allowed to smoke or swim or explore on their own. They slept on the ground. Reveille was at 5:00 A.M. They were led on hikes all day, covering the island’s eight square miles. I was never in the military, but if this is what boosts morale, I want nothing to do with what causes morale to deteriorate.

    

   We gave Iwo Jima back to Japan in 1968. It is now, as it was in February of 1945, a Japanese military base. At sunset when I was there, the Japanese national anthem was played over loudspeakers near the Marines’ campground. Every U.S. Marine turned toward the Japanese flag, stood at attention, and saluted. A Marine sergeant major of my generation, who was leading the morale-boosting trip, said under his breath, “My grandfather would be rolling over in his grave if he saw this.”

6. Member
   Doctor Robert

   Here is Iwo Jima as I saw it in July 2009.

   

   My late friend Gerry, a Marine Corps musician, was forced to exchange his saxophone for a shovel and rifle for the invasion of Iwo Jima. The last photo shows a bit of my second son Jon, now a public defender in the Bronx. Three generations earlier and he might have been taking machine gun fire at Iwo instead of viewing a solar eclipse.

   

   We are so lucky to live when we do.

7. Coolidge
   Sisyphus

   Post author

   Miffed White Male (View Comment):
   The name means “Sulfur Island” in Japanese.

   Perfect.