Frequently Asked Questions about Iwo Jima
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Q: What should I read about Iwo Jima?
A: Read the New York Times #1 Bestseller FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Get it on Amazon To learn more about the book, go to: JamesBradley.com |
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Q: I have a relative who served on Iwo Jima. How can I learn about his past?
A: 1. Get his service record from: Military Records Facility 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100 NAVY and MARINE CORPS (314) 538-4141 http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/ 2. From that record you can determine his unit. Just as your identity goes from general to specific–ie, Country, State, City, Street–your Marine or Corpsman was identified by his Division, Regiment, Battalion, Company and then Platoon designation. 3. Send that information to one of the following Divisions, asking for people who knew your relative: http://www.caltrap.com Third Marine Division Association PO Box 297 Dumfries, VA 22026 Fourth Marine Division Association PO Box 595 Laurel, Fl. 34272 http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/fifthmarinedivisionww2 Fifth Marine Division Association Dean F. Keeley PO Box 44250 Lafayette, LA 70504-4250 4. Good luck! |
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Q: How can I obtain a copy of the famous Iwo Jima flagraising photo?
A: You can buy excellent 8×10 OR an 11×14 black and white copies of the photo for great prices from . .
Michelle Pointon If you would like a colorized poster, go to http://grunt.com/. If you’d like a statue, go to the bookstore at: Nimitz Museum |
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Q: How can I travel to Iwo Jima?
A: The only way is through . . .
Military Historical Tours 4600 Duke Street Suite 420 Alexandria, VA 22304 Good luck! |
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Q: I am looking for a list of those KIA on Iwo Jima?
A: I know of no complete listing. The most complete I’m aware of is at: this website. |
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Q: What’s another good website you recommend?
A: We recommend this site for contract management software. |
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Q: I’d like to read more about the battle of Iwo Jima. What books would you recommend?
A: Richard Wheeler was in John Bradley’s platoon on Iwo Jima. He wrote two excellent books, THE BLOODY BATTLE FOR SURIBACHI and IWO. |
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Author’s name of this website?
This is a excellent site Ty! Lots of people will benefit
from it and you’re simply saving lives everytime. Brilliant.
I have an article that describes some action that my father was involved in on Iwo Jima. Here’s an excerpt: “. . . squad of ten Marines was stringing wire up a road toward a hill near the northern beach, wheter they were to set up a night ambush for Jap straggles lte in the campaign. It was the first day after this 3rd Marines Division infantry company was pulled of of lines. When the write ran out 500 to 600 yards from the hill the men sat down. The first they knew that Maps occupied the hill was when they saw machine gun bullets kicking up dirt along the road toward them. They were doubly surprised when two Jap mortars opened up, indicating that the Japs were strongly entrenched on the hill. When this information was telephoned back to their command post, the remnants of three battered infantry companies were sent up to take the hill. This developed into the three-day battle of Sugar Loaf hill, where five tanks finally had to be brought up to rout the Japs from the caves and pillboxes.
How can I find out more about this battle?
Thanks, Hal
Hi Hal,
The battle you describe (Sugar Loaf Hill) actually occured on Okinawa, which was the final, and largest, campaign of the war in the Pacific. Sugar Loaf Hill was take by the 22nd Marines of the 6th Marine Division after a HARD, BLOODY fight. If your father was at this action he was in the 6th Marine Division rather than the 3rd Marine Division – which did not fight on Okinawa.
I recommend you read the following book about the 6th Marine Division on Okinawa.
Stay off the Skyline: The Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa by Laura Homan Lacey. It is an EXCELLENT book that really focuses on the unit that your father served in.
Good luck and Semper Fidelis,
Patrick
I’m looking for some of the island’s history outside the battle. Do you know any site that has that?
I am looking for any information regarding the Naval landing involvement on d+4 and the construction of the airfields by the Navy. My grandfather, Frank Wallace Whitaker landed on d+4 behind Sarabuchi and worked on the air strips.
Did John Wayne play a real sergeant? Is he vaguely Sgt Mike?
Nope…the actions depicted in the movie, as well as that of the unit they were in, were totally fictious. The 28th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division raised the flag (in fact there were TWO flags raised, a small one at 1030 by a 42 man patrol led by Lt. George Schrier (who WAS in the movie and on Iwo Jima). The second flag raising that was caught on film by Joe Rosenthal was a LARGER replacement flag that went up about 1200 on 23 February 1945.)
Sgt Michael Stryker and his squad COULD NOT have fought at both Tarawa (Betio) and Iwo Jima, since no unit fought in both battles. The story, while great and VERY much-beloved by Marines and others, is pure fiction. The platoon sergeant who helped raise the FIRST flag was named Sgt Ernest “Boots” Thomas, who was later killed on his 21st birthday days later.
Interestingly, tons of volcanic sand were shipped in from Iwo Jima for the film, which was shot on Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. The three surviving members of the second, famous, flag-raising – John Bradley, Ira Hayes, and Rene Gagnon; all reprised their role and appear in the film with Sgt Stryker handing them the flag to raise.
If you are ever in Quantico Virginia (south of Washington, DC) stop in and visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps (www.usmcmuseum.org) and see the two original flags that were raised on Mount Suribachi on display in our WWII gallery.
Semper Fidelis,
Patrick
we have a smaller version of the iwo jima sculpture in my home town of malden mass. How many sculptures of the flag raising
are there in total around the country(world).
thanks. great web site