"Uncommon valor was a common virtue"
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
Today marks the 67th Anniversary of the fateful day, February 19, 1945, US forces launched the assault on a cipher in the South Pacific, the volcanic Island, Iwo Jima.
Big thanks to Navy and Marines.
The Congressional Medal of Honor, our Nation's highest award for Valor, defined as "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States..." was awarded to 22 Marines and 5 Sailors--nearly one for each day of the battle; 13 of the 27 were awarded posthumously.
Consider the human carnage: Thirty-six day campaign; 26,800 American casualties--6800 dead. Of the 22,060 Japanese soldiers entrenched on the island, 21,844 died either from fighting or by ritual suicide. Only 216 were captured during the battle. It was hell on earth.
Losing so many of our WW2 vets every day. Invest time this week in an effort to make contact with one you might know or not...and tell them how much their service means to you. (Why not call a local Nursing Care facility or American Legion Post and get some contact info...make a call, write a note, drop in for a visit.)
Semper Fi.
