thedrifter
02-16-06, 02:16 PM
Eastburg recalls hoisting of flag at Iwo Jima
Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
February 16, 2006
His friend grabbed his arm in delight, motioning toward the far-away hill.
Surprised and startled, Ed Bollard wondered what could be so important in the middle of one of the fiercest battles during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
But there in the distance on the shores of Iwo Jima, a group of Marines clutching an American flag was determined to climb Mount Suribachi.
When those soldiers finally reached the top, four days of fighting Japanese forces on the island all seemed to make sense to Bollard, an East Stroudsburg resident since 1959.
Four of the soldiers hoisted the flag and set it in the ground of the island, showing who actually occupied Iwo Jima, a Japanese stronghold throughout the war.
The legendary photo of the planting of the flag symbolized an imminent American victory, crippling the Japanese forces and basically ending World War II.
Bollard and his men knew that.
"It had to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen," he said of his front-row seat for one of the indelible pictures in American history. "That's when we all knew we were going to win. We were whistling, cheering, it was like a huge concert."
That was 61 years ago this month — Feb. 23, 1945. It came after four days of raucous fighting since the Feb. 19 landing on the Iwo Jima beach.
Up until then, Allied forces had battled to a veritable draw with the Japanese soldiers in the Pacific. One more battle could turn the tide of the Pacific and claim victory for one side or another.
That battle became Iwo Jima. The 110,000 U.S. Marines — including Capt. Ed Bollard, top man in the B Company, Fourth Tank Battalion, Fourth Marine Division — took over 30 days of fighting to secure one of the most troublesome but important islands in the Pacific.
But it wasn't that easy. The men started from a nearby ship at daybreak on Feb. 19. What they found when they reached the beach was disheartening.
Instead of the sand they found on every other beach they took, they found thick, brown volcanic ash. It stopped them in their tracks and kept the tanks in the ocean unable to secure adequate traction, leaving the men sitting ducks.
"We lost a lot of men like that," Bollard, 85, said. "They'd hop off the boat thinking they can get right to the beach. Then all of a sudden, they'd be in mud up to their knees. We never thought that would happen."
At one point, Bollard saw one of his own men get shot. Though advised against it, he went into the enemy fire, threw the wounded soldier over his shoulder and yanked him to safety. During the rescue, Bollard had a bullet graze his left cheek, and was millimeters away from being killed.
"It was close," he said. "But it barely hit anything."
Despite the muddy beach, the troops pressed on. Bollard and his men had been in the Pacific for two years, so the crippling heat and jungle conditions that hampered troops at the beginning of the campaign were now old hat.
Once we got our balance, we knew we could fight," Bollard said.
They pushed through the rough surroundings, taking the beach through force and later accomplishing their primary objective of taking the two Japanese airfields on the island.
It was fulfilling to get off the island and to have gained victory in the process, Bollard said. He finished up his next two years in the Marines as a White House aide before moving into the private sector. He was a local salesman until he retired about five years ago.
His home's den is now a shrine to the Marines and to Iwo Jima with paintings, pictures, medals and even blankets covering the walls.
And 61 years later, he still beams with pride when talking about the taking of the island and the men who did it.
"Those were such great guys," he said. "And it's something I'll always remember."
Ellie
Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
February 16, 2006
His friend grabbed his arm in delight, motioning toward the far-away hill.
Surprised and startled, Ed Bollard wondered what could be so important in the middle of one of the fiercest battles during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
But there in the distance on the shores of Iwo Jima, a group of Marines clutching an American flag was determined to climb Mount Suribachi.
When those soldiers finally reached the top, four days of fighting Japanese forces on the island all seemed to make sense to Bollard, an East Stroudsburg resident since 1959.
Four of the soldiers hoisted the flag and set it in the ground of the island, showing who actually occupied Iwo Jima, a Japanese stronghold throughout the war.
The legendary photo of the planting of the flag symbolized an imminent American victory, crippling the Japanese forces and basically ending World War II.
Bollard and his men knew that.
"It had to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen," he said of his front-row seat for one of the indelible pictures in American history. "That's when we all knew we were going to win. We were whistling, cheering, it was like a huge concert."
That was 61 years ago this month — Feb. 23, 1945. It came after four days of raucous fighting since the Feb. 19 landing on the Iwo Jima beach.
Up until then, Allied forces had battled to a veritable draw with the Japanese soldiers in the Pacific. One more battle could turn the tide of the Pacific and claim victory for one side or another.
That battle became Iwo Jima. The 110,000 U.S. Marines — including Capt. Ed Bollard, top man in the B Company, Fourth Tank Battalion, Fourth Marine Division — took over 30 days of fighting to secure one of the most troublesome but important islands in the Pacific.
But it wasn't that easy. The men started from a nearby ship at daybreak on Feb. 19. What they found when they reached the beach was disheartening.
Instead of the sand they found on every other beach they took, they found thick, brown volcanic ash. It stopped them in their tracks and kept the tanks in the ocean unable to secure adequate traction, leaving the men sitting ducks.
"We lost a lot of men like that," Bollard, 85, said. "They'd hop off the boat thinking they can get right to the beach. Then all of a sudden, they'd be in mud up to their knees. We never thought that would happen."
At one point, Bollard saw one of his own men get shot. Though advised against it, he went into the enemy fire, threw the wounded soldier over his shoulder and yanked him to safety. During the rescue, Bollard had a bullet graze his left cheek, and was millimeters away from being killed.
"It was close," he said. "But it barely hit anything."
Despite the muddy beach, the troops pressed on. Bollard and his men had been in the Pacific for two years, so the crippling heat and jungle conditions that hampered troops at the beginning of the campaign were now old hat.
Once we got our balance, we knew we could fight," Bollard said.
They pushed through the rough surroundings, taking the beach through force and later accomplishing their primary objective of taking the two Japanese airfields on the island.
It was fulfilling to get off the island and to have gained victory in the process, Bollard said. He finished up his next two years in the Marines as a White House aide before moving into the private sector. He was a local salesman until he retired about five years ago.
His home's den is now a shrine to the Marines and to Iwo Jima with paintings, pictures, medals and even blankets covering the walls.
And 61 years later, he still beams with pride when talking about the taking of the island and the men who did it.
"Those were such great guys," he said. "And it's something I'll always remember."
Ellie