#FlashbackFriday: The Battle of Iwo Jima—and the Exchange in the Pacific, Then and Now

On Feb. 19, 1945—77 years ago this weekend—Marines landed on Iwo Jima, a small island 660 miles south of Tokyo. Japanese fighters had been taking off from the island and intercepting U.S. B-29 bombing runs, as well as attacking American airfields on the Marianas Islands. The Marine landing, which took place after months of naval and air bombardment, began one of the most famous battles of World War II.

“The Japanese defenders of the island were dug into bunkers deep within the volcanic rocks,” says a National World War II Museum entry about the battle. “Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle. In 36 days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secured on March 26, 1945. It had been one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history.”

After the battle, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers.  The battle paved the way for the invasion of Okinawa.

The above photo shows an Army Air Corps Exchange in Iwo Jima in 1945. Throughout the South Pacific during World War II, post exchanges served American troops wherever they were located, including several remote Pacific Islands. The Exchange continues to operate facilities on Pacific islands such as American Samoa, Kwajalein Atoll and Guam.

Sources: “One Hundred Years of Service: A History of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service,” Exchange history Flickr, National World War II Museum