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..