| Semper Fi. Tonight I salute the gentleman who I meet from time to time at the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington VA. He spends his days teaching the visitors to the memorial about the fight for that island. I buy his pamphlet every time, too. |
The 28th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division took Mount Suribachi at 1030 local time.
The extinct volcano offers a strategic vantage point for the ongoing battle for control of the island.
Although the Stars and Stripes are flying over the island the battle is far from over and the Japanese are reported to be defending every inch of the island using elaborate underground defences.
The battle for Iwo Jima has been described as the toughest fight in US Marine history by the commander of the Marines in the Pacific, Lt-General M "Howling Mad" Smith.