Battle of Iwo Jima remembered on another anniversary
February 26, 2004
Maxine Corbett
Nicholas Chronicle, Richwood Reporter

Bob Smith, Richwood, West Virginia WWII Veteran

On February 19, another anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima was observed by many who served in World War II. In this battle, Japanese defenders numbered 23,000 and only 216 of that number were captured or surrendered. America had 28,851 causalities in all, and Navy and Marine Corps dead numbered 6,821.
This was an amphibious operation that was necessary because America needed the island for an emergency landing field and support air base for bombing of the Japanese mainland. This offensive began on February 19, and continued through March 30. During the first 18 hours, 548 Americans were killed and 1,775 injured. These military heroes landed on a small strip of beach later dubbed "five miles of hell."
D-Day was Feb. 19, but it was on February 23, at 10:31 a.m., that the now famous photo was taken of the American flag being raised on Iwo Jima. This photograph defined a special moment in history.
Much has been written about this battle and the strategies used, but as with any military operation, it is the men and women who serve that are most important and most remembered. Nicholas County, West Virginia, men were among those who hit the beach on that historic day.
Bob Smith was one of those Marines.

Smith has written a brief account of his memory of D-Day. That accounts follows:

I was in the 11tth Amphibious Trac. BN, 5th Marine Division, my tractor was in the fourth wave and unloaded 24 Marines on Red Beach Two. Going in, the AMTrac on my right was hit in the stern by a mortar round. The crew men and about half the troops made it in. We returned to the LST and while they were loading my tractor with about five ton of ammo, grenades, etc, I had a second breakfast. About 1 p.m., I brought in my third load and the Beach Master, a Navy Commander, stopped me and said. "This beach is getting too crowded, this is not an order, we need this ammo as close as you can get to the front." My buddy's tractor followed me and we were able to get up to the next level. We then unloaded the cargo in shell holes. On our return to the beach, I checked in with the commander and he asked if we would haul more off the beach, to the front. Our orders were to be back aboard the LST before sundown. On our return from the last load, it was too late for us to leave the beach.
I reported back to the Beach Master and he asked us to haul more ammo as it would be needed by the Marines who were dug in. We continued hauling ammo until midnight. I sat on the cab with my hand in the driver's face and my second crew member walked in front so we would not run over any foxholes.
On our return, we found five ducks blocking our road to the beach. This was from an Army unit that brought in 5-105 howitzers. No crew could be found so Cpl. Berry and I walked to check. A mortar set the first duck on fire and Berry was hit in the knee when the second hit. I limped him back to the beach and put him on an LDVP for transport to a hospital shop. I guided the Amphibious Tracs around the burning ducks and walked them down to the beach. After two hours sleep, we left the beach in the dark and at dawn we were 1,000 yards off shore. This was my first 24 hours on Iwo.
On February 23, as I hauled ammo to Suribachi, I heard a rolling roar of cheers as our flag was raised. We were on Iwo 35 days."
With America involved in another war, many veterans of World War II and all the conflicts in between flew an American flag on February 19, paying homage to a new group of heroes and remember those who served so heroically on D-Day!

Nicholas County, WV soldiers who were in the D-Day initiative

Third Marine Division "Fatty" Reynolds
Fourth Division Edgar "Egg" Meadows, Lowell N. O'Dell, Fred Baber and
Lloyd "Gar" Jordan
Fifth Division William "Pickle" Spencer, Roy Simmons, James "Red Enoch, George Clark, Woody Crites and Smith

Navy
Corpsman John McClung, Bill Reynolds who served on a landing craft.

Bill and "Fatty" Reynolds were brothers. He wrote the following letter to Smith in February 1991.
"I was in the Navy Amphibious, stationed on AKA-66, a member of a four crew LCVP. We were in the first wave to hit Red Beach. I remember seeing Woody "Shorty" Crites in an LCVP circling, getting ready to go in. I also saw my cousin, Johnny McClung. My brother "Fatty" told me later he saw my ship, but I didn't see him. We were with Task Force 58. My ship was the Southampton."