By Jim Cardillo, USMC, Vietnam, 1967-68
In March 2025, I had the rare privilege of visiting the island of Iwo Jima with my brother for the 80th Reunion of Honor.
Only a limited number of visitors are permitted on the island one day each year for this solemn occasion. As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, the 2025 Reunion of Honor was both a milestone for the Corps and a tribute to those who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The reunion brought together dignitaries from Japan and the United States, along with U.S. Marines and members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces from across the generations—from those who served during World War II to those currently on active duty. Their stories were a living testament to the struggles experienced during the battle.
In attendance was Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who said:
The U.S.-Japan Alliance shows those brave men of 1945 how yesterday’s enemy has become today’s friend. Our Alliance has been, and remains, the cornerstone of freedom, prosperity, security, and peace in the Indo-Pacific. And it will continue.
The history of the battle came into sharper focus as our plane circled the island before landing.
The landing beaches, the shoreline’s black volcanic ash, the rugged terrain, and the imposing Mount Suribachi—rising 554 feet above the island—were surreal to see after reading so many books about the 36-day battle.
The battlefield came to life as a small group of us walked from the airfield across the island’s southeast side. Our destination was a small spot atop the volcano where the American flag was raised in the iconic photograph that became a symbol of American patriotism, bravery, determination, and sacrifice.
Along the dirt road leading to the base of the mountain were the remnants of obliterated caves and bunkers, along with rusted and mangled parts of vehicles, artillery, and aircraft.
The exhausting walk from the airfield hangar across the island—and the climb to the top of Mount Suribachi—seared into my mind the vision of the Marines who fought here. I imagined many of them teenagers, burdened with camouflaged steel helmets, 782 gear, loaded cartridge belts, grenades, rifles, flamethrowers, and machine guns, scrambling across unfamiliar terrain against a deeply entrenched enemy.
My younger brother and I carried copies of our uncle’s dog tags. He served with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Our uncle spent 25 days on Iwo Jima before being killed on March 15.
We only know him through letters and photographs. Our purpose in coming was simple and solemn: to revisit the last place he walked on earth and to leave the dog tags at the top of the ominous bastion overlooking the island and its beaches.
When asked about the experience, as a Marine combat veteran myself, all I can say is this:
For those who understand, no explanation is necessary.
For those who don’t understand, no explanation is possible.
On the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, President Ronald Reagan spoke at the White House to a group of Marine veterans who had fought in the battle. During his remarks he recalled the morning of February 19, 1945:
Well, at dawn, 40 years ago today, 450 United States Navy ships stood off a tiny island in the Pacific. Few Americans had heard of the place.
It measured four and two-thirds miles by two and a half miles—ash-covered beaches and one extinct, unknown volcano.
And at 7 o’clock, a command was passed to the ships: Land the landing force.
No one—not even you, the Marines and Navy corpsmen who stepped ashore from the Amtracs at two minutes after nine—knew that what you were about to do would forever enshrine the island, Iwo Jima, and the volcano, Mount Suribachi, in American history.
Today, Iwo Jima is remembered not simply because Americans were again conspicuously gallant in battle, but because our sons were called upon to endure unspeakable hardship for the sake of freedom.
Every one of you present today—and all of you 40 years ago—have a special place in our nation’s heart, reserved only for the few in every generation called upon to sacrifice themselves so that a great nation’s ideals of freedom and peace may live and prosper, and endure.
And on behalf of all Americans, we salute today—you, the men of Iwo.
His words remain a powerful reminder of the courage and sacrifice of those who fought there.
