The Battle - The Land Battle

Hello all and Semper Fi!!

I am trying to find out some information about my grandfather, William "Wild Bill" Wirt Connelly. I am having trouble finding with what unit he served and what campaigns he fought. He was born in 1925 and from Alberta, VA and he served as a corpsman with the Marines in at least 3 campaigns during the War. I have his dogtags, battle ribbons and medals and his Pacific Campaign ribbon holds 2 stars, however I have no official records. I know that he landed on Iwo Jima on February 19th and was wounded on February 28th with what I have been told was a sniper's bullet that entered his neck and exited his mouth.

He went on to become a Major League Baseball pitcher and played from 1945-1958. He died on Thanksgiving Day in 1980, 2 1/2 years before I was born.

Any help from anybody that may have known him or who could point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!!

-Robert

Looking for information on a USM William James McEwan KIA March 3rd, 1945 he was in the 5th Division not the 3rd. He was also in the 31st Replacement Draft.
Family wanting to try and find out how he died and possible the are he was in.

E-mail "SupercubAK@aol.com"

My grandpa (who raised me), Weldon Smith, was in the 4th Marine Division and was hit with shrapnel in the chest at the base of Mt. Surabaci. The shrapnel remained inside his chest for the rest of his life because it was too close to his heart to remove. I'm so grateful he survived that day so was able to actually know him. His brother, Chester Smith, (also a Marine) was killed on Okinawa, so I never had the opportunity to meet him. My grandpa died in 2005 at the age of 88 years. He was a gentle and kind man who very very rarely spoke about his war experiences. He survived 4 island assualts including Tinian and Siapan before Iwo Jima. The fortunate thing for him is that he was hit the first day of the Iwo Jima battle (Feb. 19, 1945) and did not have to suffer the horror on that island that other survivors did. Although I know he saw many horrible things during previous battles and on Iwo Jima. Thanks to all who served on the Pacific front.

Thanks so much for your offer. Please send your Iwo Jima
pictures to my email, if you have them on computer. You may also
send to me at: P.O.Box 3275 Pensacola, Florida 32516.

65 years ago,I was a young 21 year old US Marine 2nd.Lieutenant
on Iwo Jima. Company A 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd
Marine Division had lost all but one of its 7 officers including
the CO, Captain Fred Harbin (WIA).

2nd Lt. Richard Peterson (a classmate from Special OCS 1944)
and I were ordered to join Company A fron the beach on or about
28 Feb. We reported to 1st Lt. Duncan Scott. That night, the Japs came out of their holes and attacked. Scott was KIA and Peterson was WIA.

I now took over what was left of Company A. Thank God, there was Platoon Sergeant Brekke, the only remaining NCO. Brekke was now in his 3rd major Pacific Battle. His wisdom and battle experience was invaluable to me for the rest of the battle of Iwo Jima. He
and I and about 13 other Marines was left of Company A. when the company was relieved and brought back to the beach to recover and reorganize with replacements.

On or about March 7 we moved into the attack with about 175 Marines including Captain Harbin (later receiving a 2nd WIA)
2nd Lt. Dean Murphy (Special SOCS 1944). After Murphy was KIA,
I again took command of Company A. for the rest of the battle,
return to Guam and preperation for landing in Japan.

Well, there is much more to tell some other time.
Thanks again for the pictures - looking forward to receiving them. May God Bless you and yours.
Milton Raphael

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My grandfather Joseph Mathis fought on Iwo with the 4th Marine Div, 2nd Bn, 24th Marines, G company. I am looking for anyone who has any information about his company or photos. Thanks. I also have photos of my grandfather with Don Thatcher from the 5th Marine Div and also Robert Seymour 3rd Mar div, 9th Marines for anyone seeking information on these Marines. Thanks

My Father Leon C. Thompson enlisted and fought with the 5th Marine division on Iwo Jima.He never spoke of what happened there but as a young child I remember him waking with nightmares that my mother would explain away as "the war".He came home with a metal plate in his head and had to go for intensive therapy just to regain his speach.This,for a man who had graduated with honors from college just before the war.After his recovery he met my mother and together they raised 9 children.Not bad for someone classified as almost completely disabled upon his discharge.He never complained about anything.We never knew what he had gone through but when we would ask him about his metals (Silver Star/Purple Heart with a cluster)hiding in the bottom of his clothes draw he would shrug off the question and respond that those were for the marines that did not make it home.As children we had no idea what he was saying.They say many of the survivors of Iwo were haunted by guilt their whole lives because they made it home and so many that gave so much more did not.My Dad was one of those survivors.To my Dad and to all the men who have served,are currently serving and will serve in the future,God bless all of you on this great American Day of Recognition and Appreciation of service to our country we call Memorial Day.

I don't know what branch of the government you previouly contacted, but the following link should be helpful. Fill out the Standard Form SF-80 to the best of your ability and mail it in. It really helps if you have the service number of the Marine. I have located several files, they cost about $50.00 to reproduce. some files have at least 75 pages.

http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/

I am Australian and only recently watched 'flags of our fathers', hence why i am here. there is a strong military history in our family from all wars.
war seems so devastating on many levels and something many of us are very unfamiliar with these days.
to anyone who served no matter what side they were on, to those that lost their lives and the others that live on with these horrors close to their chest. There is no sense or meaning you can pinpoint but you were needed and without hesitation you came and freely offered your lives.
this is a representation of bravery none of us now could comprehend, but as best we can we remain in awe and reverance of your loss and courage.
I salute each and every one of you, with a tear in my eye i can never wipe away.

My grandfather stood tall in Hell better known as Iwo Jima...Semper Fi...Oooh rahh!!

there were 2 D-DAYS because there were two wars

God Bless all who fought there. Semper Fi!!!!!!

"D-Day" is commonly thought to refer specifically to the June 6 Normandy landings. In fact, the term is frequently used by the military to generally refer to the initial day of an operation. So, it is entirely accurate to refer to 2-19-45 as d-day for Iwo.

Bless those who died in the filth and destruction of Iwo in the defense of our country and all freedom loving people. Thank you to those who survived the horror.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Iwo Jima (Iwo To) and took some pictures of the landscape as it is now. A couple photos closely resemble some of the originals from the battle. Please respond with your email and I'll be happy to send them to you for projects or whatever purpose.

You will never be forgotten. MT JOE

I am doing a project on Iwo Jima for a school project and was wondering if anyone could give me a few stories.. It would be really appreciated..

To those of you seeking information on loved ones who served or died on Iwo, you need to do a little homework.

The various Marine divisions landed on specific landing beaches. The various Regiments, such as the 24th Marines, the 28th Marines, as opposed to the 6th Marine Division were assigned objectives. So if you know that the person of interest was in a specific area, that will help you narrow things down a little.

The 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions landed, consisting of three regimental combat teams of three infantry and one artillery regiments in each division along with attached tank, pioneer, engineer, service, motor transport and medical battalions.

The 3rd, 9th 21st and 12th (artillery) Marines made up the 3rd Marine Division.
The 4th Marine Division consited of the 23rd, 24th and 25th Marine and 14th (artillery). There were 8 attached battalions two were armored Tractor battalions.

The 5th Marine Division consisted of the 26th, 27th, and 28th, and 13th(artillery) along with 9 attached battalions including two amphibious tractor battalions.

The 5th Marine Division was assigned the landing zone ajacent to Suribachi. The 28th Marines captured the volcano.

By doing a bit of book work, you should be able, to determine a ot about any individual in question. If you know the Division, you can determine approximatiely where they were, if you know more unit information about them, you should be able to determine to a larger degree of certainty where they landed, where their unit moved and so on. Each unit was assigned a zone of operation seperated by distinct lines of responsibility and objectives.

If you are very serious, you can go or request in writing for a fee, the unit after action reports that were submitted on a supposed daily basis. The Marines after all are a very efficient bureacracy.
Contact the US Marine Historical Division:

http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/

Here is a link to an online monograph with lots of unit information near the end. Other official histories can be purchased through Amazon.com that contain even more detailed unit history. Once you know the mans unit you can also search on line for those unit historical associations

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-IwoJima/index.html

My uncle, Anthony Manago (from Brooklyn, NY), was killed on Iwo Jima on March 8, 1945 (age 23). He was a member of the 21st Marines, 3rd Division. It is said that he was killed by mortar fire while carrying ammunition (grenades) up to the boys on the front lines.

This was before I was born, so I never knew him. As a youngster I clearly remember his picture in uniform hanging in my parents' bedroom. I have come to own several of his letters, his medals, unit patches, his burial flag and uniform hat. I am very proud of him and all our service men and women who have fought for the FREEDOM we enjoy today. God bless them.

My dad, Chirstopher Rezendes fought in the Gulf War as a FO (forward observer) and a Harrier Pilot. He also participated in the assault on Beruit, Lebanon. I express all my gratitude of every U.S. Marine that has ever fought in any cnflict or war.
SEMPER FI!

I had an uncle named George Zarcufsky "sarge" who was a marine who fought on Iwo Jima and actually seen the flag raised. He was from a little coal miner's town in Shenandoah, PA. I would like to know if there are any marines still alive who either knew what unit he was in or knew him at all. Would appreciate any feedback.

My best friend gave me a knife passed onto him by his Father, who was wounded on Iwo and has since passed. The knife reportedly was from a soldier killed in the battle, and has the name "J R Booth U.S.M.C." inscribed on the blade. I'd love to find the family of the owner and return that to them.

Chris,

My dad was a 4th Division Marine who also landed on the first wave, Beach Blue 1. I don't know if he knew your wife's great grandpa, but email me and I'll give you his email address. He's 87 now and not as "sharp" as he used to be, but he may remember him if he knew him.
You say you're now a Marine.....thanks for your service to our country.

My Dad, Harold Lesser fought in WW II in the South Pacific in the 3rd Marine Division. He is still with us and he is 90...sharp as a tack. Never talked about the war until about ten years ago. I am proud of him. He lived a life with post traumatic stress disoder after the war. Growing no one had a name for it...they just said he was a Marine in WWII. That was all that had to be said.
He was shot in the head with many rounds that hit his helmet and rendered him unconscious. He had blood coming from his ears, nose and mouth. The military never gave him a purple heart...they say no one could witness to it. He never talked about it.
Sometimes he tells us funny stories (the only ones he tells. I know he tries to remember the light hearted times to keep from tearing up. Sempri Fi

My dad was an airman in the Pacific during WWII. I remember talking to him about the atomic bombing of Japan. He said it was Iwo Jima that finalized that decision. It was from that point, for everyone out there, any lingering thought that "I might die in this war" turned into "I WILL die in this war". That was the stark reality of an invasion of Japan. The bombs were like a reprieve from a death sentence.

By the way, by all accounts he was, prior to the war, a good-natured, easy-going, humorous kind of guy. Growing up I only knew him as demanding, anxious and having a hair-trigger temper. He could never get close to us and had fleeting friendships. Later in life he said, "I lost friends by the plane load".

My cousin, PFC Richard Junior Hines was killed on Iwo Jima on March 13, 1945. He was in B Company, 1st of the 27th. If anyone remembers him, please contact me. I am looking for any information from his buddies.

Jim Hines
jhines6863@aol.com

Does anyone know of Jim "Red" Ross, serevd as a grunt on Iwo.
Survived Iwo, raised a family in Joliet, IL. He was my Uncle, but I didn't know that he serevd on Iwo until after he passed away.

I read your story and cried because yy father was a Marine and only 19 when he went to Iwo Jima. He survived the war but not the memories. Always a nondrinker, he returned addicted to alcohol and committed suicide at the age of 36, 2 days after my second birthday. I never knew him, but I am so proud of him.

My dad, Joe Caldwell, also was a corporal in the Marines and was 19 when he landed on Iwo Jima. He left high school before graduation to serve. The only time he spoke of the war was when he reunioned with his Marine buddies. It was as if (and rightly so) that they only could understand and that they only had the right to discuss it. He would be brought to tears at each yearly reunion. His last reunion he had suffered a stroke and we had to take him in a wheelchair, but he was not going to miss it. He was proud that a son and a grandson were also able to serve in the Marines

My dad was in the Navy and fought on Iwo. He was just an 18 year old at the time and was a landing craft operator. He ended up on the island after boat number three was blown up under him and he was "welcomed" in to the Marines by a rather large, and persuasive Sargent who handed him a BAR and put him to work! My dad even stayed several months later for occupation and even made to the Japanese homeland during that time. I have his old leather photo album and I prize it greatly. He's gone now, like so many other veterans, but his memory remains and I cherish it too. I thanked him for his service to our country and he was proud when I joined up too (USAF, 1975-1978). Blessings on all who served then and who serve today.

yeah i can watch that movie every now and then, it is a very good movie

I feel honored that I can even leave a message on this site. Every year in February I think of those boys on Iwo. What an incredible story. You can go on the web on "Google Earth" and look up Iwo Jima and get a daily recap of each Marine Unit's progress on Iwo the day of the attack and there on until the battle was ended. The Marines gained inches and feet and hardly yards each day. The recount tells of our men killed and wounded for every inch of that Island. Their names and their units and their exact locations on the Island each day and their progress. It tells of how many Japanese they killed along the way.

Between the KIA and the wounded the Japanese inflicted more casualties on us than the total number of men thay had on the Island. Incredible!

Those boys fought for our freedom and they believed in our Constitution and our God and Our Country.

Our Government is moving away from those core values!

As we honor those men and the effort our Military boys made during that campaign let us not forget why we have the freedoms we have. God Bless them! God Bless this Beautiful Country that we have a right to live in as Free Americans and let's embrace the key values our forefathers had the insight to write into law to protect us from Tyrany.

Our grass root values are in seriousl jeoprady right now and we need to act as the people and for the people to prevent the Tyrany that is taking place in our country right now with big governement. We should all join the "Tea Party Movement" and gain control over our rights once again.

I know this is a political statement and it may not have a place with honoring those boys in Iwo but this battle we're in right now with our government is just as important as what those boys fought for on Iwo.

Hate to tell you-Lee Marvin was NEVER on IWO. He was wounded on SAIPAN before IWO. Further more, "Captain Kangaroo" wasn't there either & never saw action, contrary to stories he won the Navy Cross & fought with Marvin on IWO.

I was 6 years old at that time when the US Marines bravely fought the battle at Iwo Jima. Had they failed, it would be a disaster for it would take months more for Gen Mc'Arthur's "I shall return" to realize and probably I am not alive these days because the Japanese military started to implement the "juez de Cuchillo" in Mindanao. I am forever greatful to the American people for their support to their men in uniform especially the US Marines. I can only say that I admire the Japanese soldiers for their love of their mother land, Japan as I love my country very much as well, the Philippines.

Rosauro Feliciano
Ex-Commissioned Officer, Philippine Marine Corp
(Marines of the Pacific)

I just today learned about the Japanese attack just after dawn on March 26, 1945, where they attacked sleeping Americans and slaughtered them.

Can anyone direct me to a link that has specifics of that final battle?

I found one about the LT who won the MOH that day, but that was all I could find.

Also - about the idiots who post negative comments about our servicemen and the battle of Iwo Jima... ignore them. They're not worth comment in the first place and probably just snotty nosed kids with no sense of history.

One final comment. You will never read or hear of me saying anything good about our enemies. The only problem with us dropping nukes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is that we didn't drop a third or fourth or 20th nuke.

Of course, the main reason we only dropped two was because that was all we had.

I was 18 at the assault on Iwo Jima. There are still five of us in my Marine Corps League Detachment. 3 of us still have lunch every Tuesday. We very rarely discuss the events of the battle - just fortunate to have survived.
It is a memory that haunts me every day
even now as I type this memory I reallize how blessed ZI have been to have survived another 65 years-with family,wife, children,grandchildren, great grandchildren and a host of dear friends.
I often wonder about those who sacrificed their lkive in that great battle, both Marines and Japanese, had they survived what would they have contributed to society-perhaps a cure forcancerand many other diseases, a man of peace that would be able to have us love one another???
In my Company-F-2-25 of 250 Marines - I believe their were24 survivors of the battle- the balance wounded or KIA- Greater love hath no man than this that they lay down their live for their friends. A thousand shall fall at thy side and 10000 at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee(pretty close tho) Peace - God bless America and the USMC- Semper Fi

im doing a project 2 im really interested in it

Jake, You would be among the luckiest, the proudest, the smartest! Ronald Reagan said "Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem." God bless our US Marines! God bless America! Semper fi!

this really helps with my social studies paper on the battle of Iwo Jima (: thank you

God bless all the soldiers who died in the war. My grandfather, John Bradley Minnick (what a coincidence to the famous John Bradley) fought in this battle and recieved a purple heart when a piece of shrapnel stripped him of his left hand. He's still alive and well (95 now, I believe), and now has a published book of his diary during the war. RIP to all who were lost, and thank God for our military :)

hi any one know Lt Aime john hourcade he was in the 3rd divsion 9th battalion 28 replacements my father past march 9 2007 just trying find out thank you jeff hourcade

Im glad there are young people still interested in the greatest battle of WW II. Im thankful there are still young people that want to be Marines.
Jake Fenn and Jake Mattson, dont worry about their spelling, its easyer to teach a monkey to spell than to make a Marine.

I am so proud of all the men that fought on Iwo Jima. I knew a man who was on that Island. He said there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't think about the battle on Iwo Jima. It was probably the worst the U.S. Marines had ever been into, and they have been in alot of bloody battles throughout the history of the Corp. I will never forget what they did for out FREEDOM! God Bless America!

This is one the most famous in American history. It is incredible how many human beings could be terminated in such a short period of time. The rise of the American Flag was my favorite stage in this mission. This date will always be remembered in American History. R.I.P. To all the lives that were lost during WWII.

Hi Tim

this helped me so much military is awsome

I can still recall the storys my Bro told me.I know he is in Heaven as he and his comrades went thu hell on that Island

Wow this is a lot of useful information! very helpful for my term paper. RIP all our lost soldiers

i love the movie flags of our fathers

Not cool, sickening, may they all R.I.P.

this is awesome. i am doing my prodject on this. mabey i will some day be in the marines