Chapter 227's After Action Report

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA, INC.
DEAN K. PHILLIPS MEMORIAL CHAPTER 227 - Northern Virginia
P.O. Box 5653, Arlington, Virginia 22205

Phone: 703-912-1681

MEMORIES OF IWO JIMA

Tom Cox and Jim Wheeler, two WWII Marine veterans, relived their days during the famous battle for the island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean. Tom's duty was to seal enemy caves with explosives so that survivors could not attack the Marines in the rear. Jim Wheeler was an artillery forward observer.

Iwo Jima was planned to be a 72 hour battle for a small island that was to serve as an air base to recover damaged B-29s from their raids on Japan. However, someone forgot to tell the Japanese defenders about the time schedule. American victory was achieved 30 days later at the cost of 6,000 U.S. Marines. The major reason for the battle's ferocity was that is was considered part of Japan's homeland, and the enemy was ordered to kill ten American soldiers before dying. Prisoners were few, and the last Japanese soldier surrendered in late 1950. Even the local Japanese civilians committed suicide rather than surrender. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines for the battle for Iwo Jima. The island's sulfur mines provided an instant impregnable defense against American fire power. Each cave had to be assaulted to kill its defenders before moving forward. The flamethrower was the only weapon that the Japanese soldiers feared.

Both men witnessed the Marine flag raising on Mount Suribachi, a memory which they and our Nation will never forget. Seeing the flag flying drove the Marines forward despite a well-entrenched and desperate foe. Both veterans returned to Hawaii to train for the invasion of Japan. Both agreed with President Truman's decision to drop the two atomic bombs that ended the war. Based on their Iwo Jima experience, they believed that American casualties would be unthinkable when both soldiers and civilians would rather die fighting than surrendering. The two veterans went to Japan after the surrender for eight months to disarm the military. Both saw the atomic bomb's destructive power. When they returned to the U.S., they received the same treatment as returning Vietnam veterans. The euphoria of the war ending had evaporated and life was returning to normal. No homecoming parades or celebrations were given to the returning Marines. Jim Wheeler, who had joined the Marines while in high school, could not even buy a beer in the U.S. because he was not 21 years old. Sound familiar! He suffers from PTSD even today, and it took 20 years to share this Iwo Jima experience with his wife.

Thanks to Jack McMahon for inviting these two veterans to speak. Jim won the 50/50 raffle and returned his winnings to the chapter in the highest tradition of the Marines. As they said, "Once a Marine, Always a Marine!"