Yes, an excellent book William. Some quick Navy/Marine historical photos can be seen at
www.iwojima.com
My father-in-law was over for dinner this past Sunday, and he was in a subdued mood, more so than ever. Then I realized, and he mentioned where he was 61 years ago that day. He was in the first wave of Marines to hit the beach, they took
75% casualties in the first hour. Seven out of their eight officers killed. They couldn't get any footing, they kept sliding backward in the loose ash. At the end of the first day, his unit had suffered 92% casualties. Thankfully, (or not for that matter) he was not wounded, and stayed in combat for over three weeks before getting relieved. Somehow, this, short, skinny tough little guy would survive four Marine invasions of WWII.
We always are pestering him to get his memories recorded by one of our unofficial family "historians", but, understandably, he can only speak about it certain times, he can't just turn it on and blabble because someone else wants him to.
Almost completely unimaginable for those of us who haven't experienced a war firsthand. I'll be raising a glass or two tonight in honor of all the brave ones who've done their duty to keep us free, and to all men and women on both sides who were only doing their duty.