[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE COURAGE OF THE U.S. MARINES, 5TH DIVISION ON MT. SURIBACHI

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 2003

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the courage of the first 
United States soldiers to scale the summit of the heavily-defended Mt. 
Suribachi on Iwo Jima.
  Iwo Jima is a small rocky island only two miles wide and four miles 
long located approximately 650 miles south of Tokyo, Japan. It is a 
volcanic island, much like the islands in my home state of Hawaii--a 
place where cool Pacific breezes rush over soft beaches and birds sing 
songs learned during lonely flights across the wide ocean.
  For a brief moment in time, the island of Iwo Jima became a central 
battleground between the Empire of Japan and the Allied Forces during 
those terrible and dark days of World War II. The Allied Forces were 
determined to take the island in preparation for a final attack on 
Japan, and the Japanese were unbendable in their desire to defend Iwo 
Jima and to prevent foreigners from moving any closer to the main 
islands of Japan.
  On February 19, 1945, approximately 70,000 American and other Allied 
Forces and 22,000 Japanese soldiers locked themselves in a horrific 
battle that would begin the final phase of the War in the Pacific. 
Entrenched in a series of interlocking caves, blockhouses, and 
pillboxes, the Japanese fought with determination to defend their 
island. Debarking off a naval armada of more than 450 ships, the 
Allies, led by the United States, brought the full weight of their 
highly trained and battle tested troops to bear with the determined 
goal of taking the rocky island no matter what the cost. The battle for 
Iwo Jima would be one of the fiercest conflicts of the Second World 
War. Almost 7,000 Americans were killed in action. More than 20,000 
Americans were wounded. Of the 22,000 Japanese defenders, only 1,083 
survived.
  On February 23, 1945, the fifth day of the battle, Marines from the 
5th Division were ordered to ascend the slopes of Mt. Suribachi, the 
main peak controlling the island. Four Marine squads worked their way 
up the mountain and, at 10:30 a.m., 1st Lieutenant Harold Schrier, 
Platoon Sergeant Ernest Thomas, Sergeant Henry Hansen, Corporal Charles 
Lindberg, and Private James Michels raised the first American flag on 
Mt. Suribachi.
  Today, when our Nation thinks about the brave soldiers of Iwo Jima, 
we often visualize the commanding bronze statue resting on the banks of 
the Potomac River. Most Americans do not realize that this memorial 
actually depicts the second, much larger flag that was raised over Mt. 
Suribachi, signaling the courage and determination of the United States 
to almost every soldier on Iwo Jima and to the naval vessels at sea.
  In my home state of Hawaii, the Iwo Jima United States Memorial 
Association is working to raise the funds necessary to build a memorial 
to recognize the American soldiers who raised the first American flag 
on Mt. Suribachi. I applaud their efforts and hope that every citizen 
across the nation will support those groups dedicated to recognizing 
the courage of American soldiers.

                          ____________________