Iwo Jima Pics
Some of these I have seen, but there are some really breathtaking ones in here. The volcanic sand must have been a piece of hell.
On the eve of the 231st Birthday of our Corps…these photo images are especially appropriate.
S/F
John
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Homecoming
I first met Jim at one of the monthly Marine Parent lunches that Karen and I regular attend. I got to sit next to Jim and we spoke almost the whole two hours we were there. Jim served in the Marines during WWII. He was there in the Marshall Islands, he was there on Saipan, and he was there at Iwo Jima. A PFC when he landed on Iwo, he left the Marine Corp as a Corporal. A couple of things struck me about Jim as we spoke; he enjoys the interaction with people and he has a good sense of humor. I kept thinking I wish my Dad was still with us so he could meet Jim too.
I asked Jim to meet with Karen and me again because, although Jim is a member of VFW Post 4380, he does not go to the Post, and we wanted to share knowing him with the rest of the Post. There must be so many Post members like Jim that we don’t know but we should. We should because we appreciate that service…the service in the Military, whether in peace time or in time of war, because it keeps this country free. And it is that appreciation that draws us together…the Post members and the Auxiliary members.
Jim is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is second oldest of four children. His older sister is still alive, but his two younger brothers have both passed on. He and his wife have five children; two sons and one daughter in Dallas, one daughter in Minneapolis, and one daughter in Arizona that is a Mother Superior and runs a convent. He spent his civilian life after the Corp with the Railroad as a Locomotive Engineer. He retired in 1985 with 40 years of service.
Jim graduated High School in 1942 when he was 16 and joined the Corp right afterward. So why did he join the Corp? “The uniform…but the funny part is, I never had dress blues in the Marine Corp. I got them way, way afterwards” Jim told me. “In fact I got them at Desert Storm. I was in so many color guards and they thought they were going to bring back so many bodies and they wanted me to fill in. Fortunately we didn’t have to.”
Jim was wounded twice. He received a Purple Heart and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Purple Heart. He was wounded on Saipan and Iwo Jima. But what was he really proud about? The 4th Marine Division had received two Presidential Citations. “The citation to a Unit is like a Medal of Honor to an individual”, he said. Most divisions had received one citation. Jim said that his division was the only one that he knew of that received two.
Don’t ask Jim what part of his Marine service he is proud of. “That’s kind of bragging and you don’t look at it that way”. But ask him if he remembers his first engagement and his eyes light up…”very much so, very much so. I’ll never forget that as long as I live”. Jim explained his first combat experience this way. It was on the island of Roi in the Marshall Islands. The fourth Marine Division has the distinction to be the only unit to have embarked from the states on ship and land directly into battle. When they landed on the beach at Roi there was no resistance. There was a little hill going up from the beach and Jim, a BAR assistant, told the BAR man that he would go up top and take a look around. He got on top of the hill, on his belly, and there was a 50 gallon oil drum next to him. “All of a sudden I heard bing-bing-bing next to me”. There was a sniper on top of an airplane hanger and “his sights must have been bad because he was hitting the oil drum instead of me!” He slipped back down off the hill back to his BAR man and he said, “Jesse, they’re shooting at me!” Jim recalled Jesse’s comment laughing, “Well, what the hell do you think they are going to do!” Jim and Jesse kept in touch and used to laugh about that. They kept in touch until Jesse passed away about a year ago.
Here was Jim, laying on the beach and thought he had been shot. He felt something move under his chest and he always heard that you never really felt pain when you were shot, so all he could think about was that he had been shot. He was afraid to look or to feel and never being shot, he really did not know what to expect. But he rose up a little to check and he said laughing, “There was a big land crab that went out from underneath me and scooted out. Now that is something I’ll never forget as long as I live”.
What Jim really wants us to know is the experience that he was involved with that many people do not know. The reason for this is that the Military kept it classified for many years. He calls it “The Second Pearl Harbor”. The story never got out until Jim was interviewed by the Dallas Morning News 6 or 7 years ago and then it blossomed from there. The incident occurred when the Marines were preparing for their invasion of Saipan.
They were aboard LST’s (Landing Ship, Tank) on maneuvers preparing for the invasion of Saipan. This was to be the D-Day of the Pacific. A storm came up and there was one particular LCT that was hauling/piggybacking an LCI (Landing Craft, Infantry) and the LCI slipped off; 15-20 marines were drowned. They went back and pulled into Pearl Harbor. There were 34 LST tied up in groups of 7 or 8. Jim was in one group about 3 from the outside and the outer one caught fire and exploded. A chain reaction ensued and when it was over, 163 died and the injured totaled 396. Jim was one of the injured. A total of 6 LST's were destroyed along with 3 LCT's.
“So what was the homecoming like”? asked Karen. When Jim got back to Minneapolis, he explained that “it was the first time in 3 years that he was by himself overnight”. At the time, his family lived in Northern Minnesota and he had to get a room overnight until he could get transportation home. You could tell from his voice that he remembers well how he felt back then. “Here I was, by myself, free to do anything I want to. It was such an odd experience!” He remembers the outpouring of appreciation. “I couldn’t buy a drink, I couldn’t buy ‘nutin”. People would hound ‘ya…!” When he was alone in his room, he did something that he hadn’t done in three years. “In those days they only had bath tubs; they didn’t have showers. And I bet I took three baths. And there would be a ring around the tub coming out of my skin, from…because all the time I was on Maui you had cold water showers and aboard ship you had salt water showers, so you really never got clean.” He laughed, “I bet you for 10/15 baths there was a ring around, you know from stuff coming out of your pours. That’s how dirty you were!”
The next day, he got on a Greyhound bus for the 200 mile trip to his parents home. It was crowded and he had to stand. There were a couple of “little old ladies and I could hear them whispering…who is he?” Jim explained that they never saw a Marine in Greens; they only knew them in Blues. Well he let them continue their wondering until he explained that he was in the United States Marine Corp. That little piece of information made its way through the bus and at the next stop, they “were fighting over who buy me a drink”, he laughed.
This is where Marine Jim could not hold back his emotions. Tears came to his eyes, Karen started tearing and I did all I could do to not start, as well. When he got off the bus, he was met by his Mother, Dad and brother. His other younger brother came running. He had already given his folks and brother a hug. At this point Jim had to stop for a moment because he could not hold back the tears any longer. His other younger brother, who was around 14 at the time, was standing back and was just looking at him. Jim explained, “(his brother) stood there for a long time. He told me later that ‘I (his brother) didn’t think you were going to have legs or arms’.” His brother has passed but he will never forget his brother’s reaction. His brother just wanted to make sure he was OK and all in one piece. That was Jim’s homecoming from the War.
David and Karen, Proud Marine parents of two
Plano, Texas
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Iwo Jima Cemetery
Hello,
Don't forget Friday night, October 20th will be the opening of "Flags of Our Fathers" at a theater near you. For those of you in Oxford, MS I don't know for sure if it will be at the MALCO Cinema or the new ScreenWorks Cinema. I will send another email after I find out Monday. In Oxford we will have 2 Iwo Jima Veterans, Mr.. Paul Sharrer from Oxford for sure and one possible from Pontotoc. I don't want to give out his name until I am sure he is going to participate. You should see a couple of announcements in the Oxford Eagle about this event later in the week. We will honor these heroes along with the rest of our World War II heroes prior to the movie beginning. The attached picture was provided by Paul Sharrer and it shows the cemetery at Iwo Jima prior to it's completion. Marines of the 4th MarDiv are buried on the left and Marines of the 3rd MarDiv are buried on the right. It is a sober reminder of the sacrifice our fellow Marines made for all of us. I hope you will plan on attending this movie wherever you are. It would be outstanding if Marines and veterans from across our country would plan on attending this monumental event. This motion picture will be a blockbuster event at a time when our enemies perceive us to be weak. If you and all of our veterans can make a show of force in attending this movie, wearing your hats, uniforms and pins, we can show everyone around the world that we support our Corps, Country and fellow Veterans. Please pass this email to as many as you can and I hope to read a headline the next week that reads something like this: "Veterans from across the United States attend the opening of Flags of Our Fathers in a show of support for our troops, veterans and Country."
Semper Fidelis
Gene Hays
Oxford, MS
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Iwo Jima Ka Bar
Sgt Grit,
I just ordered the Iwo Jima Anniversary Ka-Bar and other items from your company and I wanted to share some photos and story of my father with you.
My father John F. Jarvis served on Iwo Jima as a Master Sergeant with the 2nd Separate Engineer Battalion attached to the 5th Amphibious Corps (patch on his right shoulder in photo). He joined the Marine Corps on December 8th, 1941 and sailed for the Pacific in October 1942. He was promoted to Sergeant aboard ship and then participated in the occupation and defense of Guadalcanal from January 1943 to July 1944 where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant on February 1, 1943 and then to Supply Sergeant (Gunny) on December 1, 1943.
In July 1944, my father participated in the assault, capture and liberation of Guam. In February 1945, his unit sailed to Iwo Jima and he landed there on February 20, 1945. He served on Iwo Jima during the battle where his unit helped repair the airstrip at Motoyama Airfield so that B-29s could land there. On Iwo Jima, he served as the Acting Battalion Quartermaster and was promoted to Master Sergeant February 25, 1945. In the second photo on Iwo Jima my father is on the left wearing the Ka-bar with an unidentified Marine buddy. You can see some aircraft and probably a Japanese artillery piece at the edge of the Motoyama airfield.
I have attached a photo of him wearing his Ka-Bar on Iwo Jima. It must have been taken at the end of the battle on or about March 27th, 1945, the day his unit sailed back to Guam. Also, I am sending a photo of my father at the 50th Anniversary of Iwo Jima commemoration on February 19, 1995 at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It was quite a day since they sat us in the front row between John Basilone’s sister and Lt. Gen Lawrence Snowden who was a Captain on Iwo Jima. My Dad was 82 at the ceremony and had difficulty walking so we arrived early. A Marine Major tried to deflect us to the seats in the back trying to save the front seats for VIPs, but a Sgt Major “advised” the Major that this man is going to sit in the front row.
My father looked great for his age, but I had just put him in a nursing home a few months earlier with Alzheimer’s. I couldn’t take him back to Iwo like I had promised him, but there was no way that he was going to miss the Iwo Jima 50th anniversary in D.C. It was a great alternative for nearly 1,800 Iwo Jima survivors and thousands of their friends and families that could commemorate the battle with their loved ones.
Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised and watched the whole ceremony seated just a few seats from President and Mrs. Clinton. The media loved my Dad and they all filmed him and took a lot of pictures. Numerous news reporters wanted to interview my Dad, but then realized that he had Alzheimer’s. I helped him answer their questions as best I could. Luckily, my Dad did remember some things about Iwo Jima that day. One reporter asked my father what his most vivid memory of Iwo Jima was and he replied “We kicked the Japs Ass”. Needless to say, that never made it to print, but we all got a good laugh. Apparently my father forgot that the Japanese had done a little ass kicking themselves during that 36 day battle!
Later that day, CNN started off the news every 30 minutes with a close-up of my father and then the two of us walking along the red carpet up to the Marine Corps War Memorial. We stood in front of the monument of the Iwo Jima flag raisers where my father offered a final salute to his comrades. As we turned around I noticed all the television cameras were focused on me and my father. Suddenly, I felt extremely proud to be the son of the “old man” in his VFW shirt. I remember being a little embarrassed as a young kid because my father was always waving the flag and always organized and marched in all of our local hometown Veteran’s and Memorial Day parades. Of course, after I joined the Marines I understood where his patriotism came from.
The 50th Anniversary of Iwo Jima reunion and ceremony was quite a thrill for me and my family. The President and Mrs. Clinton came over to speak with us after the ceremony and the White House sent me that attached photo. The next day, there was a large photo of my father in the Washington Post in the story of the Iwo Jima 50th Anniversary. We got to meet a lot of people that included five members of my father’s battalion. Three of them were in my father’s company and remembered him well and shared some nice stories with me. Sadly, my father didn’t remember his old buddies. They were ten years younger and I guess we always remember the senior guys.
There was a great photo of me and my father was in the June 1995 Leatherneck magazine in an article about Iwo Jima. He was also featured in the Pentagon Press Release for the 50th anniversary and in the Navy Reserve magazine, The Mariner.
In March 2005, I went to Iwo Jima for the 60th Anniversary with about 450 other military history buffs to include about 80 Iwo Jima veterans and their families. I carried my father’s scrapbook up to Mount Suribachi with all of the attached photos. It was great trip. I walked invasion beach and hadn’t realized that the Marines that landed there had to run uphill as the proceeded inland. I met some great Marines and Seabees. I returned some photos of Japanese soldiers to the Japanese contingent on Iwo Jima after the ceremony.
Well, I hope that I haven’t bored you too much. The film “Flags of our Fathers” is scheduled to be released on October 20, 2006 and I have been doing some research about my father’s unit on Iwo Jima. I remembered that photo of my Dad wearing his Ka-Bar on Iwo Jima. When I saw your website with that Ka-Bar, I just had to order it.
My father died on April 30, 1999 at age 85. At the funeral, we had a Marine Corps Honor Guard, 21 gun salute, a bagpiper and a big crowd. It was a fitting tribute to one of the greatest generation. Semper Fi Dad!
You may put the photos of my father on your WWII site if you wish.
Keep up the good work.
Semper Fi!
Kevin Jarvis
SGT USMC
3rd Amtrac Bn 1st MARDIV 1974-1976
MSG Bn Cameroon and Panama 1976-1979
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Pre-Pearl Harbor Bible
In 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the New Testament was distributed to the Armed Forces by the Government. This bible, not only has the New Testament, but also the National Anthem, Gospel songs, the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus' teachings on 50 of life's problems.
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Iwo Jima KaBars
I shot this pix, and more to follow, of your company's Iwo Jima KaBars at the Marine Corps League 5K run. The KaBars were given to four Iwo Jima veterans, three Marines and one Corpsman. I thought you would like to see what became of what you sent for the run.
Dub
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WWII Marine Pilot
I have just finshed another issue of your outstanding newsletter. I have to say that I, a soon to be 70 year old Marine (1953-1957) am very impressed with today's crop of Jarheads. As others have said, they are as good ,if not better Marines than we were.
I wanted to tell you a story about an under 21 year old pilot- My dad served with VMF-312, the Checkboard Squadron during WWII- My dad joined right after Pearl Harbor in 1942 when I was still in grade school. He was 32 and they called him "Pop". He was a radio repair man for the squadron's F4U Corsair's. VMF-312 was the "Checkerboard Squadron" and played a big role in that infamous hell hole- Okinawa. The squadron went ashore after they had secured Kadena Field and went to work. I wanted to tell you about this young Marine pilot my dad told me about- I think his name was Klingerman or Kleinman. Anyway, the Japs were hitting everyone hard with kamikaze attack and a lone Jap observation plane was up at the limit of propeller planes at 40000 feet or so over Okinawa. 60% of the island was still in Jap hands and the real blood hadn't yet been spilled as the Shuri line hadn't yet been broached. (if you want to read an eye-popping, horror ridden account of war- read -"Tennozan-The Battle of Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb". It will make you think as we lost more Marines on Okinawa than at Iwo and it was a slow grinding kind of war of attrition replete with one horror after another. Getting back to the observation plane- this young pilot managed to just get his Corsair up to that altitude and went after the Jap- The Jap was a two seater and had a gunner in the rear seat.( a zeke??) The Marine fired his gons but nothing happened.,They were frozen from the cold. While in position he could see the rear gunner aiming at him but nothing happened there either. Same reason-frozen. He could see the Jap hammering on his machine gun with his gloved hands. Since it was imperative that they stop this Nip because he was likely calling in the kamikazes to juicy targets, the Marine cinched up his seat belt and tucked away his extra large cojones and proceeded to cut the tail off the Jap plane with his propellar. He knew that his chances of getting back weren't that hot but he did it and the Jap went down. But he did limp back with half a prop on one side (bumpy I'm sure) and landed at Kadena. He was awarded the Navy Cross that day. Had he gone down in Nip land, he would have been instantly executed yet he went for the Jap and succeeded- It's guys like that who make the Corps what it is- Semper Fi!
I enclose a US Goverment Photo of him,
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Remembering Peter
I have written to Sgt. Grit several times before and appreciate you adding a couple of them to the newsletter. I would like to add somewhat of a post script to one of my previous submissions. I wrote about Peter Kakadelis , who served with the 4th Division in WW2 and saw action on Roi Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. He was a grunt in the first three campaigns but was transferred to the 14th Marines for Iwo. That transfer probably spared him from being killed or wounded on Iwo as the grunts took the brunt of the casualties. And while his 155 was hit and killed several of his buddies, he walked off unscathed.....that was quite a miracle in itself, walking off Iwo without a scratch. You may recall that in my previous story, Peter was the one who made doughnuts on Iwo and the CO had to post guards around him......Peter was a wonderful man, a stand up Marine, and an inspiration to me and many others. Peter passed away last year and we all miss him terribly.
I made my third trip to Iwo Jima this past March and with the blessing of Peter's wife and two sons, I buried some of his ashes on the beach where he came in that chaotic morning of February 19,1945. I felt his spirit with me on the beach that day and as I looked up at Mt. Suribachi, I also felt the spirit of all the Marines who made the ultimate sacrifice during that pivotal battle. Peter came as close to death that day as he rushed to the terraces on the beach as the fifth wave rumbled in. In the heat of the moment, Peter left his pack on a jeep that was also in the landing craft. He took two steps to retrieve the pack when a Japanese round hit the boat and completely destroyed it, killing a number of Marines and sailors. As I stepped back from the memorial I had left on the beach for Peter, I found five .30 caliber rounds setting in the sand......hard to believe that after 60 years, they were still there. I wondered.....were these Peter's......each relic has it's own story and I couldn't help but wonder what had caused those rounds to be dropped or lost. I was honored to bring back Peter to Iwo to be with many of his buddies and am grateful to his wonderful family for allowing me that honor.
We are forever indebted to the Marines of the past......particularly the Marines who served during WW2 and set the standard so high for us that followed. I am proud to call Peter my friend, my role model, but best of all, a Marine brother. I don't know if you can also include pictures in the newsletter, but I am attaching a picture of Peter's memorial on the beach with Suribachi in the background.
Semper Fi,
Bruce Carter
USMCR
1972-76
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Gene Gustad Iwo flag Project
Here are a couple pictures to add to the BS pages of what the Marines of the Grunt.com BB did for our Iwo Vet Gene Gustad
Kilo1
Randy Todriff
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Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Recently, I returned from a visit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Attached are three picture - the first is the USS Arizona Memorial listing the Marines that died during 07 Dec 1941 - the second is of Puller Hall which is located on the Naval Base, the building is currently occupied but the exterior cannot be changed - the third is a Marine on duty at the entrance to the USS Arizona Memorial.
R.J. Emerton
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62nd Seabees on D-Plus-6 on the Iwo-Jima Beachhead.
Submitted by John Ratomski
BIVOUAC
....that improved the chow situationand the first loaf of bread from the bakery was fondly re-named "angel food cake." Our heavy old helmet that we wanted to throwaway many times took on a new importance. It was better than an entrenching tool for digging a foxhole, it was our cooking pot, wash basin, laundry tub and bathtub and it was indespensable in the foxholes at night as a deluxe bedpan when you took your life in your hands if you stuck your head above ground.
Our heavy equipment men began work on Number One Airfield the day we landed, before the full length of the strip had been secured by Marines. Our men fought off banzai attacks, ducked from sniper's bullets and ran for cover everytime the NIP mortars got a bead on our equipment, but pushed on with their work day and night.
Seven days after the repair and constructionof the airfeild had started, a crippled Super fort on the way home from a bombing mission over Japan made an emergency landing.
...Our fellows deserve a lot more credit than they have received for the fine job they did during those danger filled hours. In fact, it was a rough, tough period for all of us, but we came out of the mess better equipped to meet the action packed days ahead.
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