thedrifter
01-19-06, 06:50 AM
MWHS-1 Marines land on Iwo Jima
MCB Camp Butler
Story by Capt. Robert S. Burrell
IWO JIMA (Jan. 19, 2006) -- Forty service members with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 conducted a period of military education Dec. 5-7 on what most Marines consider the most hollowed spot on earth – Iwo Jima.
Maj. Richard T. Wolfe, MWHS-1 Frag officer, arranged for two C-9 aircraft flights to Iwo Jima from Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa, Japan. Before departing Okinawa, Marines were given the biographies of battle veterans to study and identify with.
Iwo Jima was the site of the most horrific amphibious assault of World War II and perhaps modern warfare. Approximately 70,000 Marines from the Vth Amphibious Corps (made up of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions) fought 21,000 Japanese in a brutal contest that left about 28,000 American casualties with nearly 6,821Americans dead. The battle remains the most costly in Marine Corps history.
Iwo Jima literally means “Sulfur Island” in Japanese, and as the planes landed on the island, the pungent smell of sulfur filled the air. After donning their 782 gear, Marines made the 5-mile trek from the airfield to the 565-foot towering summit of Mount Suribachi – the sight of the famous American flag-raising and the second most recognized icon in the world.
On the top of Mount Suribachi, Capt. Robert S. Burrell, MWHS-1 executive officer, delivered an address that centered on the selfless acts that Marines and sailors demonstrated during the conflict.
After a walk down the mountain and onto the landing beaches, GySgt Richard Deuto, MWHS-1 intelligence chief, explained how the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions assaulted the island on D-day. Then, after a stirring walk on the black volcanic sands of Red Beach 1, Marines departed again for Okinawa.
Former NFL football player, Staff Sgt. Steve Whipple, was excited to study former NFL football star and Medal of Honor winner 1stLt Andrew Jackson Lummus.
“It puts all my accomplishments in perspective,” Whipple said. “There is no substitute for visiting this battle-field first-hand and learning about the veterans who fought here.”
Staff Sgt. Karlo Mendoza’s enthusiasm to learn about the battle was contagious.
“I’m so happy to be here,” said Mendoza, an MWHS-1 network security chief.
Cpl. Imelda Dominguez, a supply clerk with MWHS-1 remembered her family during the event.
“My Grandma always taught me not to be selfish,” Dominguez said. “The Marine I was assigned (Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Darrell Samuel Cole) exemplified selflessness. He died for his Marines.”
The ghosts of Iwo Jima had many lessons to impart to the Marines of MWHS-1. The MWHS-1 commanding officer, Lt. Col. Sam C. Nelson III, declared that it was an opportunity of a lifetime, and he was very proud his Marines had a chance to take it.
Ellie
MCB Camp Butler
Story by Capt. Robert S. Burrell
IWO JIMA (Jan. 19, 2006) -- Forty service members with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1 conducted a period of military education Dec. 5-7 on what most Marines consider the most hollowed spot on earth – Iwo Jima.
Maj. Richard T. Wolfe, MWHS-1 Frag officer, arranged for two C-9 aircraft flights to Iwo Jima from Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa, Japan. Before departing Okinawa, Marines were given the biographies of battle veterans to study and identify with.
Iwo Jima was the site of the most horrific amphibious assault of World War II and perhaps modern warfare. Approximately 70,000 Marines from the Vth Amphibious Corps (made up of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions) fought 21,000 Japanese in a brutal contest that left about 28,000 American casualties with nearly 6,821Americans dead. The battle remains the most costly in Marine Corps history.
Iwo Jima literally means “Sulfur Island” in Japanese, and as the planes landed on the island, the pungent smell of sulfur filled the air. After donning their 782 gear, Marines made the 5-mile trek from the airfield to the 565-foot towering summit of Mount Suribachi – the sight of the famous American flag-raising and the second most recognized icon in the world.
On the top of Mount Suribachi, Capt. Robert S. Burrell, MWHS-1 executive officer, delivered an address that centered on the selfless acts that Marines and sailors demonstrated during the conflict.
After a walk down the mountain and onto the landing beaches, GySgt Richard Deuto, MWHS-1 intelligence chief, explained how the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions assaulted the island on D-day. Then, after a stirring walk on the black volcanic sands of Red Beach 1, Marines departed again for Okinawa.
Former NFL football player, Staff Sgt. Steve Whipple, was excited to study former NFL football star and Medal of Honor winner 1stLt Andrew Jackson Lummus.
“It puts all my accomplishments in perspective,” Whipple said. “There is no substitute for visiting this battle-field first-hand and learning about the veterans who fought here.”
Staff Sgt. Karlo Mendoza’s enthusiasm to learn about the battle was contagious.
“I’m so happy to be here,” said Mendoza, an MWHS-1 network security chief.
Cpl. Imelda Dominguez, a supply clerk with MWHS-1 remembered her family during the event.
“My Grandma always taught me not to be selfish,” Dominguez said. “The Marine I was assigned (Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Darrell Samuel Cole) exemplified selflessness. He died for his Marines.”
The ghosts of Iwo Jima had many lessons to impart to the Marines of MWHS-1. The MWHS-1 commanding officer, Lt. Col. Sam C. Nelson III, declared that it was an opportunity of a lifetime, and he was very proud his Marines had a chance to take it.
Ellie