Narrator this is the pacific as you know it, wide stretches of water, but this is the pacific as the joint chief of staffs view it, a battlefield, a vast fortressstudded plane on which the japanese defend the heart of the homeland. It is the most heavily fortified island in the world. This was the most heavily heavily fortified island in the world. Buried deep underground, the jap preparations for murder. 20,000 fighting men waited for us to make the first move. And they dont have to wait long. [explosions] the navy begins to soften up the island so we can land. [explosions] planes from our Carrier Force take off to strafe and bomb. [machine gun fire] [explosions] gunboats move in close to work over enemy beach installations. [machine gun fire] enemy fire gets closer. [heavy gunfire] dday, the beginning of the toughest 26 days in marine corps history. We watch the Center Control vessels. When this flag drops, our Landing Craft will head to the beach. [artillery explosions] 500 Landing
You know it, wide stretches of water, but this is the pacific as the joint chief of staffs view it, a battlefield, a vast fortressstudded plain on which the japanese defend the heart of the homeland. It is the most heavily fortified island in the world. Buried deep underground lay 20 years of jap preparations for murder. 20,000 of their toughest fighting men waited for us to make the first move. And they dont have to wait long. [explosions] the navy begins to soften up the island so we can land. [explosions] planes from our Carrier Force take off to strafe and bomb. [machine gun fire] [explosions] [airplane engines whining] [explosions] gunboats move in close to work over enemy beach installations. [machine gun fire] enemy fire gets closer. [heavy gunfire] [explosions] dday, beginning of the toughest 26 days in marine corps history. We watch the Center Control vessels. When this flag drops, our Landing Craft will head to the beach. [artillery explosions] 500 Landing Craft in 10 waves a
Dont think it is enough to contextualize. Because people are not going to stop and read what is on a plaque. If it is on a monument or on monument avenue, or some other place, i say, remove them, take them down, put them in a museum and contextualize it. I dont believe in destroying history, that history doesnt have to be in my face all the time. And it certainly doesnt have to that i amic lands helping, my taxes are helping to pay for. If it is in someones home or someones personal property, that is their business. But if it is a public space, it should not be there. If i am expected to maintain it. More about then people and events that shaped the civil war and reconstruction every saturday at 6 p. M. Eastern only on American History tv, here on cspan3. On february 19, 1945, the u. S. Navy, coast guard and marines launched an invasion of a heavily fortified Pacific Island called iwo jima. Next on reel america, filmed in color by u. S. Service members and edited by warner bros. Studio
Heavily f5 et q sliemd in thebk long. Keep a sharp lookout for zp;6vm we county even have time to remove our dead. There are heavy defenses on the ridges overlooking this plain. They draw a bead on us again. They chased us off there five times. We came back six. We brought in our wounded, and we took a breather. The injured are carried to the rear. Plasma is given on the way. Hospital dugouts are ready for anything. And we are ready to advance again. We called for artillery. Artillery develops at night. One of our ammunition dumps goes up. In two weeks, weve cleaned out plenty of japs between here and sirra batchi, but there are thousands fighting from pill boxes and caves. We have to go in and dig them out, one by one. But when we cant dig them out, we burn them out. While we fought, we prayed. Wreckage along the beach was only a small part of the cost of 26 days of fighting. Beautiful queenie. And there were other names, too. Names of our friends. We stacked the helmets of our dead
This film might disturb some viewers. [orchestral music] narrator this is the pacific as you know it wide stretches up water, but this is the pacific as the joint chief of staffs view it, a battlefield, a vast, plane on whiched the japanese defensive lineman is in the heart of the homeland. It is the most heavily fortified island in the world. Very deep underground, the japanese weight. 20,000 other fighting men waited for us to make the first move. And they dont have to wait long. [explosions] the navy begins to soften up the island so we can land. [explosions] planes from our Carrier Force take off to strafe and bomb. [machine gun fire] [explosions] gunboats movie and close to work over enemy beach installations. [machine gun fire] enemy fire gets closer. Heavy gunfire] dday, the beginning of the toughest 26 days in history. We watch the Center Control vessels. When this flag drops, our Landing Craft will head to the beach. Artillery explosions] 500 Landing Craft in 10 ways advance o