RyansGNdoes10s said:
yes that book is awesome and im sure the movie will be good also! my grandfather fought on Iwo Jima and is about to go back for the first time for the anniversary! He taked to Speilberg and Eastwood on the phone about being in the movie but he just couldnt do it at the times they were trying to shoot it! they wanted him to be there at I think 5pm until like 3-4 in the morning and then back again the next night! He's too old for that plus its a good drive to get to downtown chicago for him about 1- 1 1/2 hours. He said it was pretty cool to get the call from them! he said that his caller Id said flags of our fathers so that was cool for him! he was a machine gunner attached to H Company 3rd batt. 28th Marines 5th Marine div. The 28th Marines which he was part of suffered 60% of its landing force of the 3256 officers and men 1952 officers and men were killed or wounded and he survived unhurt!
Wow, that is awesome, your grandfather is a hero... I hope he knows how sacred this battle is in modern Marine Corps lore, what he took part in is still to this day taught to marines in bootcamp, from John basilone to the other 20 something medal of honor recipients from those 36 days
I visited Iwo Jima march of 2003 while I was attached to the 31st MEU
It was definately the most incredible place I have ever been to, its about 5 miles by 2 miles of volcanic sand, smells like sulfur. Theres a japanese airstrip and thats about it. My buddy and I went roaming around and ended up on the landing beach looking up at Mt Suribachi from the same spot you see some of the most famous pictures were taken looking at marines pinned down on the sand with Suribachi in the background.
The place looks frozen in time, there are pill boxes and gun emplacements all over, weapons lying there rusting along with all kinds of ordnance every step you take.
I have pictures of myself in a box with the front opening blown open, standing behind what looks like a 30mm cannon that was obviously hit with the full force of the naval gunfire that blew open the front, the barrel of this gun was bent over to form a quarter circle.
Like every other inch of that island, you knew standing there that the japanese manning that gun were blown to smitherenes
I have a still have a film case I filled with sand from the beach
maybe I can dig up those pictures sometime
