66 Years Ago On Iwo Jima

Operation Detachment, otherwise known as the battle for Iwo Jima, began this day in 1945. 18,000 Imperial Japanese troops faced approximately 70,000 Marines, of which my Father was one. After 35 days, 216 Japanese soldiers were all that was left of the Imperial forces, with close to 7,000 Marines killed and over 19,000 wounded.