re: On this day in 1945, the U.S. Marines landed on the island of Iwo Jima...

Wiki is incorrect.

Actual military deaths

All reputable statistics indicate over 400,000 US military deaths during WWII.

In any case, more deaths = more deadly.

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My father was with the 5th Marine Division that land on Iwo. He was wounded on Iwo. He did not talk much about the battle but he did say he saw the American flag being raised on Mt. Kuribayashi.

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>>Mt. Kuribayashi<< You mean Mt. Suribachi

No problem though.

Of the six Marines who raised Old Glory that day, three were killed in the Iwo Jima battle.

Cpl. Harlon Block, 20 yrs old
Pfc. Franklin Sousley, 19 yrs old
Sgt. Michael Strank, 25 yrs old

Much respect, love, and honor for your father and his service.

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The emergency landings number is highly contested. According to several historians, the majority of B-29 landings there were routine refueling stops.

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So, they did need the island?

I've known three men who were on Iwo Jima, one was a former neighbor. He had already landed in North Africa, Italy, and the South of France. His unit set up and ran an on-shore radar setup and he went in on day 9. They told him the situation was secure. Not quite. He said he hit the beach, quickly dove into a shell crater and pulled two dead guys on top of him. Said he stayed there for three days and the Japs overran his position on two nights. He told me that he knew Kyushu was next and after what he had seen on Iwo Jima, he knew he would never see home again. Then one night, while watching a movie, some colonel walked on stage and announced that something called an atom bomb had made the Japs surrender and the war was over.

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So, they did need the island?

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He will defy to the very end even though he's wrong.

It's the progressive way.