Thread: Could we win the battle of Iwo Jima today?

Could we win the battle of Iwo Jima today?
March 17, 5:30 AM
Dave Gibson
1 comment

AP/Joe RosenthalThis week marks the 65th anniversary of the U.S. Marines’ victory on the Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima. The battle for control of the tiny island was the deadliest event in the history of the Marine Corps. The fighting lasted for a month and was among the most gruesome of World War II. Considering the current subversive nature of the American press and the lack of intestinal fortitude on the part of our political leaders, it is more than doubtful that we could win such a battle today.

While the Marines hit the beaches of Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, U.S. Navy frogmen were sent to the island much earlier. They worked in the shallow waters to clear mines and underwater obstacles, designed to hamper any invasion. The frogmen suffered heavy losses in the course of their operations, with 170 deaths.

On the first day of the invasion, 550 Marines were killed and 1,800 were wounded. While many journalists witnessed the carnage the from ships anchored offshore, none of them tried to discourage the American public from continuing the fight.

By March 16, 1945, the fighting was over. More than 6,000 Marines were killed on Iwo Jima. That is roughly equal to the number of U.S. deaths suffered in both the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. While uplifting images and reports of American heroism were sent back to the U.S. 65 years ago--it seems that only gloomy images and reports of Americans abusing Iraqi terrorists make headlines today...This is not your grandfather's press corps.

U.S. Marines killed 21,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima. They did so with flamethrowers which burned to death the Japanese, and suffocated them in their holes as the flames evaporated all of the oxygen around them. Japanese soldiers were also blown apart with grenades and satchel charges, dropped into their caves. It was brutal, it was horrible, and it was necessary.

The Marines that took Iwo Jima were held up as heroes and idolized by millions of grateful Americans. Fast forward 65 years, and we now have Marines facing murder charges for killing the enemy.

Do you think that President Roosevelt would have allowed one his Marines such a fate? Of course, Roosevelt had the courage to face the enemy with the same brutality with which they presented our troops. Presidents Bush and Obama have had no qualms about sending Marines into battle, though neither has been particularly willing to protect those same Marines.

Thank God the rise of imperial fascism took place in the 1930's. At that time, we had the resolve to rid the world of that evil. I can imagine that today's liberal media and weak-kneed politicians would have done little more than surrender to Hitler and Hirohito.

May God Bless the U.S. Marines.


http://www.examiner.com/x-21818-Virgini ... Jima-today

My Uncle was a Marine at Iwo Jima. His brother, my other Uncle was a paratrooper during the invasion of Normandy. My dad was in the Navy in the Pacific. Did any of them feel like heroes? No, they did not. They did their jobs, they saved our country, they saved Europe, they saved the Pacific, they came home, they went to work, and never spoke of WWII, not once in my life. Not even when I asked my Dad about it when I was in college.

My Uncle who was at Iwo Jima came home and became a plumber. My Uncle who was at Normandy came home and became a farmer. My father who was in the Pacific came home and became a boilermaker.

My great grandfather was a volunteer in the Union Army during the Civil War. His grandfather, my great great great grandfather was a volunteer in the Revolutionary War.

They all did their jobs, came home, went to work and never asked for or expected a thing in return.

Will Americans do it again? Real Americans will do it every single time.

God bless them and all like them.