It was a strange name, not the sort of one that would draw much attention. The Marines had landed on a small island named Iwo Jima somewhere near Japan. Nimitz reported on the first day of the assault that "resistance was light", causalities "were moderate," and the "operation was proceeding satisfactorily." It would take a while for the grim reality to set in for Shelby County residents, but for the Marines hitting the black sand beaches of the enemy under heavy fire, the understatement of Nimitz's comments was all too clear.

Today, few of the veterans recall even thinking about the purpose behind taking "Iwo," as the West Pacific island was called.

"I was just 19 at the time and all I knew was that we had a job to do," remembers Jim Slater of Sidney. For the Leathernecks who trained at Parris Island, that was the only attitude the drill sergeants permitted.

Although the Japanese were surprised by the American assaults on other islands, they were prepared when the Fourth and Fifth Marine Divisions landed to begin the battle. The eight square mile island was defended by 22,000 soldiers who had been convinced by General Kuribayashi that "they all, each and every one, must fight to the death."   That fury was felt first hand by Dinsmore Township resident Pfc. Larry Greve. he landed on D-Day with the Third Marines amid shelling and chaos.

"Trying to dig a hole in that black sand was like digging a hole in a bin of wheat," he recalled. The task of somehow landing all the men and materiel on the jagged beach through heavy surf amid constant enemy fire fell to the amphibious landing teams. For the Fifth marines, the man in charge was Lt. Col. Pete Stephan of Sidney.   Stephan, already the recipient of the bronze star for heroism on Bougainville and the Legion of Merit for his actions on Guam, described Iwo in a letter to his parents as follows: "It's a good thing is was the Marines that came here."  Although he lost over half his vehicles because of the heavy seas, enemy fire and the beach conditions, the men of his division go that they needed to get the job done.

Two days later, the Sidney Daily News reported that the Marines were making a "general advance." Causalities: 3,650.