The Island

To quote one of the most famous Commandants of the Marine Corps, General Charles C. Krulak;

"For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines and we win battles."

Win battles indeed.Today is the anniversary of our victory on Iwo Jima. A more iconic battle in the history of the Marine Corps is hard to find. From the 19th of February to the 26th of March, the United States Marine Corps engaged in some of the fiercest fighting of World War 2. Inch by inch, they took and held land from a dedicated, fanatical and trained enemy.

Quotes about that battle still resonate within the Marine Corps to this very day. Chester W. Nimitz, stating that "Uncommon valor was a common virtue" and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal stating "The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years."In the battle for Iwo Jima alone, there were twenty-two Marines who would receive the Medal of Honor for their actions. Iwo Jima also saw that demise of Marine Corps hero John Basilone. Even on that day, the account of his bravery earned John the Navy Cross for once again, leading from the front and taking the fight to the enemy.

We remember on this day the 6,821 men who gave their lives on that small volcanic Pacific island. We pay homage to the 19,217 wounded from that battle. The men who took Iwo Jima are proof that the Marine Corps and naval forces are able to take a punch and give one right back that will knock the enemy on its ass. We will always remember, we will always strive as a nation to show the same tenacity and grit that the men on Iwo Jima displayed.

Marine Corps War Memorial