Anniversary Ceremony of "Battle of Iwo Jima"

JB Staff — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:23:08 GMT

Battle of Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February–26 March 1945), or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S. invasion, charged with the mission of capturing the three airfields on Iwo Jima, resulted in some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a vast network of bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 km (11 mi) of underground tunnels. The Americans were covered by extensive naval and air support, capable of delivering an enormous amount of firepower onto the Japanese positions. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the American overall casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered 3 times that of Americans. Of the more than 18,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner. The rest were killed or missing and assumed dead. Despite heavy fighting and casualties on both sides, Japanese defeat was assured from the start. The Americans possessed an overwhelming superiority in arms and numbers; this, coupled with the impossibility of Japanese retreat or reinforcement, ensured that there was no plausible scenario in which the U.S. could have lost the battle.

The battle was immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the 166 m (545 ft) Mount Suribachi by five Marines and one Navy Corpsman. The photograph records the second flag-raising on the mountain, which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. The picture became the iconic image of the battle and has been heavily reproduced.

Anniversary Ceremony of the Battle of Iwo Jima

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-009 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Left, Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Skieshia Church, Information Technician 3rd Class Valerie Hadley, and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Emily Hill chat with World War II Marine Veteran Joseph Costello, Jr. before the start of the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-013 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Left, Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Skieshia Church and Information Technician 3rd Class Valerie Hadley chat with World War II Marine Veteran Joseph Costello, Jr. before the start of the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-037 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- World War II Marine Veteran Sgt. Jack Thurman reminisce about his experience during the battle of Iwo Jima before the start of the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-099 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Sailors from the forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and guests render honors as the honor guard parade the colors during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. Germantown and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-115 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Yasunori Nishi, president of the Japanese Iwo Jima Association, addresses the audience during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-134 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Yasunori Nishi, president of the Japanese Iwo Jima Association, bows to World War II Veterans and guests during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-150 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Center, Marine Lt. General Lawrence Snowden (Ret) bows to Japanese World War II Veterans and guests during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-171 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Japanese dignitaries lay a wreath in honor of the men who died during the battle of Iwo Jima during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-190 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Japanese dignitaries bow in respect after laying a wreath in honor of the men who died during the battle of Iwo Jima during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-209 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- Marine Lt. General Lawrence Snowden (Ret) bows in respect after laying a wreath in honor of the men who died during the battle of Iwo Jima during the Reunion of Honor Ceremony. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

Image Below: 120314-N-WV964-212 IWO TO, Japan (Mar 14, 2012)- A wreath lays on the memorial honoring all the men who gave their life during the battle of Iwo Jima. The forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) and elements of the III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in the Reunion of Honor Ceremony commemorating the 67th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. Germantown, commanded by Cmdr. Carol McKenzie, is currently on patrol in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Johnie Hickmon/Released)

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Anniversary Ceremony of "Battle of Iwo Jima"