"Like Hell With The Fire Out"

22 pages
Other did not know, but the real battle was about to begin. Easy Company's mission was to join with the rest of the 28th Regiment and advance onto the northern plateau. This doesn't sound good...They had to cross rough exposed ground while hidden Japps shot at them once again. For those of you that are reading this, there are many men that i mention that die that i probably have never discussed about because there was just to much to say about every other man earlier in the book. So be prepared if this is one huge post lol. Too many people died and i want to get as many as i can on this blog.

Mike Stanks squad was running when Jappanese snipers popped out and fired at them. They took cover and as Mike was telling them about a way to escape....but was cut down by friendly fire. It was a U.S Navy Destroyer that was bombing the area! Sgt Strank, one of the best and bravest leaders was now dead. He was just doing his job i guess, trying to find a way to save "his boys." Harlon took Mikes place and was now the squad leader. The battle continued and the Regiment was pinned down once again. Jack Bradley, nicknamed "Doc," was trying to heal Hank Hansen when Tex Hipps saved Bradley's life by yelling, "Watch out Bradley! Banzai charge!" and killed the Japps. But sadly Hank Hansen died in Bradley's arms. Suddenly Harlon explodes from an enemy grenade. Poor guy was cut in two. The next day, Colonel Johnson who wanted the original flag to be returned was blown to bits, followed by the death of Sgt. Thomas who led the push up Suribachi. The next day haunted Jack Bradley. The squad found Ralph Ignatowski, Bradley's best friend in the war, dead. In my opinion this is probably put him into shock and silence for the rest of his life. Chick Robeson got hit and Bradley got him evacuated from the island. As days when on, Jack Bradley's time in the war came to an end as a mortar round hit in the area and gave him  shrapnel wound along with Sam Trussel. Bradley was evacuated soon after. Franklin Sousley was shot in the back by a sniper on some road and died a couple seconds later. Tex Stanton had his feet blown off and was evacuated from the island. About a week later, Easy Company was done on Iwo Jima with only 50 survivors. Iwo Jima was America's bloodiest, but most heroic battle.

Truthfully, words cannot describe how i feel about any of this. Depressing? Sad? Stunned? Nope, non of these words come close. But i do know that these Marines went through so much Hell on this island. The survivors were probably wondering how they did it...

Myths

 14 pages
  The Marines thought they had won, but they were still on the look out for any lurking Japps in the night. As one Marine named Chick Robeson remembers, "As we lay in our fox hole trying to sleep, we could hear them blowing themselves up with grenades held to their stomach." Later, Jack Bradley, Franklin Sousley, and Rene Gagnon wrote letter back home to their loved ones talking about how they raised the flag on Iwo Jima and describing how bad the battle was.

New York Times newspaper describing U.S "victory"

Joe Rosenthal picture of the second raising of the flag gets published in New York Times newspaper on February 25, and he instantly becomes famous for his outstanding picture. The article talked about Iwo Jima and how it was the bloodiest battle of WWII took up almost the whole newspaper. But it started writing misleading stories and ideas about the battle. For example, in one of the articles it said, " the Jappanese were rolling grenades down the [cliff] to burst in the faces of advancing Marines." It said that the flag being raised marked the end of the battle, but it lasted for many more days. In my opinion, such exaggerations make the story better, thus making more of a profit. If i was a Marine, i would want the public to know the whole truth, not lies!

"So Every Son Of A Bitch On This Whole Cruddy Island Can See It!"

 20 pages
 The Marines were woken by bombs drops very close to their position. It was their own planes mistaking them as "live Japanese." Nothing was worse than friendly fire. So Severance called the colonel on his private radio frequency and told them to radio the pilots to stop the bombing sense all their radios were damaged. As the Marines advanced up the hill killing all Japanese in their paths with specialized demolition squads like flamethrowers. Captain Inouye of the Japps cried to himself in one of the chambers under the mountain, "Suribachi's fallen...Suribachi's fallen."

Colonel Johnson picked 40 men to finish the climb to the top. Scared, but prepared, the Marines marched up single file waiting for an ambush...it never came thank god. When they got to the top they found a metal pole and put an American flag on it that one of the Marines were holding. Lietenant Schrier, Platoon Sgt. Thomas, Sgt. Hansen, and Cpl. Lindberg and a few other Marines raised the flag. The whole island erupted in cheers of their fellow allies. But that flag belonged to that battalion and Colonel Johnson wanted it back. He requested another flag to be put on the volcano. Franklin and Ira found a pole weighing about 100 pounds to use for the second flag! Mike Stanks team had the honors of raising the flag this time, while others simultaneously lowered the first flag. But nobody really paid any attention to them. I mean "after all, it was just a replacement flag," one marine said. I can't make any connections, but i would be real happy when the flag rised. I would cheer along with everyone else.

                   

     1st flag raise (but was taken down)       2nd flag raised (replacement)

D-Day Plus 2

14 pages

Another night has passed and at 8:30 am, the US continue their advance on Suribachi. What the Marines didn't know was that Mount Suribachi was hollowed out into a 7 story fortification for the Japanese, with pillboxes, and hidden holes all over the mountain to shoot at unexpected marines. Another disappointment came as well. The tanks that were supposed to show up but never did, which would have given the troops some cover from the pillboxes.

The men just charged! I don't know what motivated them to, but they did. Mortar rounds were constant and "blew most of us to high hell" while machine guns never stopped firing. Jack Bradley saw a marine get hit by a mortar but still in one piece. He rushed over to him dodging the crossfire and helped him. After he finished, he dragged him 30 yards to safety. This earned him a Navy Cross....which he never mentioned to his family for some reason. As the the slaughter continued, the Marines continued to advance until they near the top. If you have no respect for anyone in the war, there is something wrong with you haha. They go through hell but still find the will to keep on moving! I would freeze up and fall to the ground lol. And if you were a medic, you were constantly running around the battlefield helping the wounded. That takes a lot of skill and stamina to do something like that! I have never done anything like this before haha, but all i can say is that the men who did should be honored greatly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD89Z0_Rav8
This is a video about what the demolition squads did to get the Japps out of their hiding places.

D-Day Plus One

10 pages

The nights on iwo jima were a "nightmare in hell." General Smith warned the Marines in their holes and trenches to prepare for banzai attacks from the Japps, but they never happened. Instead, Kuribayashi (the head of the defenders on Iwo Jima) chose his own of bombing the area throughout the night with mortars and artillery. The sun started to rise and to all Marines, the morning was a blessing.

The 28th Regiment was ready to take Suribachi (the inactive volcano on Iwo Jima). Most of the 5th Division would go to Suribachi, while some joined the 4th Division moving northward. 3000 men of this regiment would advance up towards this extinct volcano. As Jack Bradley and some other Marines advanced, some Japps came out of their hiding places in the ground. Bradley shot one in the head right as two grenades landed by his feet. But Jack Lucas pushed Bradley out of the way and layed on the grenades and pushed them into the ash. He was still alive after the explosion somehow and got the medal of honor. He just wanted to "save his buddies" and thats it. Now thats what i call bravery: Willing to die to save your fellow Marines. There were also a lot of men that were injured and could have been evacuated. But no, they couldnt leave their buddies and their job wasn't done. If we all had this kind of confidence there wouldn't be anything we couldn't do!

 This is Suribachi, the inactive volcano on Iwo Jima. This is what Easy Company had to take...

D-Day...in the Pacific War

20 pages

February 19, 1945, the Marines arrive at Iwo Jima. The 28th Regiment, including Easy Company, was landing on Green Beach One, near Mount Suribachi, and isolating the mountain before capturing it. And hour passes after Marines safely land on the beach, complete silence. Kuribayashi's strategy is to wait until the beach is full of Marines before attacking. When the defense begins, there is no shelter for the Marines. The Japps strike and dead bodies clog the beach and shoreline. But the Marines continue advancing through the gunfire. As they advance while their friends die around them, many Marines become heroes.

John Fredatovich was Easy Company's first casualty and given a blood transfusions by Jack Bradley. Many Marines who were injured badly refuse to be evacuated from the island, choosing instead to stay by their buddies and fight. That night was horrible, if not more terrifying because of the darkness. the Marines use the names of American-made automobiles as passwords to identify themselves to each other in the night, so they will not be mistaken for a Japp and be killed. I have never heard of such a brilliant strategy by the Japps, wait till the marines fill the beach and then strike. i have no connections cause i probly wouldnt be a hero and i would prbly die haha.

T-1

18 pages

I found that the real reason for the invading Iwo Jima was so our B-52 bombers could successfully get to Japan and bomb it. But Iwo Jima had fighter planes that were constantly shooting down our planes. The Airforce used Saipan's airstrip to launch planes, but the airfield at Iwo Jima had to be taken if we had any hope of advancing.

For the Japanese, there were no medals for the survivors, only for the dead. They were to fight with no hope of survival. There objective was to make Americas attack a "costly" one. Their emperor instructed that every man should kill at least 10 Americans before you die. They Japps and The US fought very differently. The Japps were unpredictable and never surrendered. If surrounded, they would fight on, unlike a Nazi. Also, if they captured any of our soldiers, they would torture them until they were close to death! they would do the most unimaginable things. Like the nazis, the japps creates something similar to the atlantic wall, but better. With underground passages, blockhouses and pillboxes on top of the land, anti-aircraft guns hidden in the rocks,  and antipersonal mines, the Japps were ready to do their job.

Tomorrow is the invasion of Iwo Jima....All Marines are silent, symbolizing the amounts of death that will occur the following day. I probably wouldn't talk to anybody too. I would be thinking different thoughts to myself about friends and family. Maybe asking questions about the war or praying to God.

I chose this picture because medics were much different in the Pacific War and the European war. In the pacific the japps would kill medics. but in the european, both sides would cease fire so a medic could get to a wounded man and it was considered awful to kill an enemy medic.

If you can't see it it says: " A long haired, bearded, Marine-hatin' Sailor with certain medical skills, who would go through the very gates of Hell to tend to a wounded Marine."

Wish Me Luck...I'm Gonna Need It

10 pages
Easy Company  was finally finished training at Camp Pendleton and moved to Camp Tarawa in Hawaii for more training. These 1500 Marines were assigned to invade Island X, which is what the military called it so the Marines would not know of what their destination was. But it wasn't too long until they found that they were going to Iwo Jima, an 8 square mile, god-forsaken island made of volcanic ash. With a forty day trip to the island, hundreds of ships and transports set sail with 100,000 men, millions of different supplies that could take care of Alabama for a month, and 100,000,000 cigarettes. Now that is a lot of cigarettes!! Its sad though, because most of these Marines will end of dying. To be exact, an average Marines life expectancy was 11 seconds when they hit the beach. That is very depressing and I am baffled on how my grandfather survived it.

12,000 Japanese soldiers ultimately fortified behind thick pillboxes, trenches, barricades, and artillery surrounding the island, it seems like an impenetrable island. But it has to be done.

 These pictures both show the transports that Marines stayed in on their way to Iwo Jima. (Above) In the background is a big ship that probably could hold up to 2000 men. Those small, tank-like boats are used to get inland unload the soldiers. (Below) These are medium sized transports with huge metal doors that unleash all of the Marines onto the beach. Every time there is an amphibious attack the first few lines always get slaughtered..

Brotherhood of the Easy Company

20 pages
According to the text, the six men were in Easy Company, which is quite ironic if you know what happened at iwo jima. And if your wondering, a Company (made of 250 soldiers) is made up of 3 platoons. 1 platoon is made up of 3 squads. 1 squad up of 4 soldiers, a team. Jack Bradley was in the 3rd platoon while Ira, Franklin, Harlon, and Mike were in the 2nd platoon. Mike was the squad leader of  Ira, Frank, and Harlon. Within the company, and probably all other companies, regiments, etc., there is a special loyalty and bond between the men, officers and soldiers. They all know they are in hell and that no one outside of the war will ever understand. Colonel Harry arrived and his job was to mold the men these men of the 28th Regiment into a ultimate fighting unit. The first thing they did was rifle training, then teamwork drills, and many different kinds of training for specialized soldiers. The conditioning they had to go through was insane. I remember how tough soccer and ski conditioning were but that is nothing compared to what these soldiers had to do.

There was a brotherly bond between each and every Marine, kind of like me and my friends. We look out for each other. We are a team. Mike Stank was someone the squad looked up to. He was their "big brother." "Everyone respected everyone," one Marine said. I wonder what it really feels like to be in war, but still have a special bond and laugh with your squad? maybe i would have a bond with a few soldiers if i went to war. but i wouldn't make too many cause most of them probly will die anyways...

I chose this picture because it shows the friendships between the men. Even in the think of war they looked after one another. They were "brothers."

They Were Destined To Meet

20 pages

Now that i have learned everything about those six men, i understand them more. Each had a different opinion of war and some even knew they werent coming home.

The six boys and many other Marines were to report at Camp Pendleton, a camp in a huge town called Rancho Santa Maragarita surrounded by rugged terrain. All of the men attending this camp would be in a new Marine Division, (the 5th Marine Division). This was what brought those six men together. I think they were destined to meet each other in the war. In this camp, they were trained again by specialized military officiers. The only thing im confued about is why only a select group of Marines were chosen to be in this division, Were they better or more valuable than other soldiers? I am not sure but all i know is that these six men are going to meet very soon. It is kinda cool how the book is written. Starting off introducing the characters who raised the flag and then telling about how they recruited into the war, which led them to how they met.

The symbol (to the left) is the symbol for the Marine 5th Division. The picture to the right shows many young, specialized men who were recruited into it.

This Is When Hell Really Begins

pg 11

The book is finally getting exciting! Mike, Ira, and Harlon were sent to Bougainville and got their first taste of war. Some say it was similar to D-Day and some day it was as closest to hell as you could get with its thick jungle like terrain, heat, bugs, and hidden Japanese soldiers. As i read, i was stunned how horrid this battle must have been. Mike was forced to slit a Japps throat from his "head in command" (he wasn't to happy about that). Ira witnessed countless people around get blown away by mortars and mowed down by machine guns. Harlon was in a spot of the island where there were no Japps. But they got ambushed and Harlon had to fight hand to hand with someone and then kill him. They never met on the island and sailed home in different boats and stayed houses a month after the battle was over. I too, would be horrified if i was in something like that. At this time, Franklin and Rene had just entered boot camp and Jack was being assigned as a medical corpsmen in the Pacific.


This is a picture of Bougainville. Ira, Mike, and Harlon fought on this awful jungle for 2 months and had endure the rough nights. Basically the only goal was to survive.

The Call of Duty...

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the recruiting stations were overwhelmed by the amount of people enlisting. Like my Grandpa said to me, "After Pearl Harbor, you didn't wait for the draft, you enlisted." What he said to me always got me thinking of why people did want to enlist. Mike Stank enlisted way before WWII even started. More people were enlisting into the Marines because "the Marines are the best, and don't you want to be the best?!" But to earn the right of being a Marine, every one of them had to go through bootcamp.

Aaah bootcamp, the place where grown men cry like babies lol. Not really, but it is extremely hard! The directing instructors job was to break you down and rebuild you into a "Marine." The recruits would go through hours and hours of brutal training and humiliation. I dont know if i could take it, i would try my hardest to succeed though


This picture shows how much the directing instructors yelled and criticized new recruits. You couldn't even cough without permission. They are superior, they are your master until you leave boot camp, and you either give them respect or get yelled at like this guy in the picture.
Here is a video that shows what boot camp for Marines are like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az2a9y0JLGE&feature=related

3 of the Men

20 pages

Wasn't able to read much but whatever. I finished the long chapter talking about the boys childhoods. It finished it by reading about Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Mike Strank. This isn't much different than my last post since it has the general idea of describing boys. But i made a connection with Ira and Rene, which made me post this. Rene and Ira were two, smart boys as a kid. But they were very quiet, like me. The characters and I usually wait for someone else to start a conversation, rather than create one our self. Rene was a good worker and so was Ira. I guess you could say i am a good worker, but just at the things i want to do. I also relate to Mike Strank because he was the Sergeant, leader, of the squad. He has always been the boss of everything, even of his childhood friends. Like me, i like to be the leader, never the follower.

I think that was pretty cool for the author to do what he did. He makes it seem like he is talking to you in person as he tells you the story of how he travels all over the country to find the details and background of the six boys. Now that i know more about the boys, I will be able to understand on why or how they react to different things on the battlefield. It is a good book because it starts slow, but leads up to a very exciting story. I'm a little into the next chapter and its already interesting, i can't wait to find out what happens next.


Mike Strank was always a leader.

All-American Boys

(20 pages) I like how the book is starting out. It isn't talking about the war or being in the war at all, but about the childhood of the six boys. With the help of friends and families of the soldiers, James Bradley was able to describe the six boys with vivid details explaining everything about them: what their hobbies were, what they did for fun, what they did for work, of they were a good or bad boy, etc. So far, i have learned about James Bradley, Franklin Sousley, and Harlon Block. In fact, i learned too much about their past.

I think the author is trying to show you the boys background to show that they were ordinary boys of that time, no different than other. They all had dreams of accomplishing hard tasks, and without video games, or any modern devices to keep them occupied, they were able to focus on what their dream was. The war was an opportunity to become something better than you were, a simple child. I mean, what boy doesn't like hearing about the war and shooting guns. They left everything that they had behind, and went off to war. They had become the men they always wanted to be.