IWO JIMA
<February 19, 1945 - March 16, 1945>
Iwo Jima, a barren volcanic island midway between Saipan and
Japan, was desired by the Allied
forces as an emergency base for B-29's
flying to and from Japan. With its strategic location, Iwo Jima
could serve as a fighter-escort station and repair location for
damaged aircraft returning from Japan en route to Saipan. If the
Allied forces took Iwo Jima – they would have the upper
hand against the Japanese.
More than a 100,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima only to find
Japanese soldiers entrenched in caves or underground. After a
month of heavy fighting, the island was secure while both sides
suffered heavy losses in the process. Fifty MIS
soldiers fought alongside the Marines. Their job was to flush
the Japanese soldiers from the caves. One MIS soldier who was
particularly courageous was Terry Takeshi Doi. Stripped to the
waist and armed only with his helmet and a flashlight (to show
he was unarmed), Doi entered cave after cave, urging the Japanese
soldiers to surrender. Several of them, up to a dozen at a time
crawled out from the caves. For his daring actions, Doi was awarded
the Silver Star.
With the great efforts of everyone involved in the Iwo Jima campaign,
a vital link in the U.S. chain of bomber bases was established.
