LEO O'BRIEN - Maiden, MA - Recollections from a few days in Feb. 1945. Many times I have thought of those days but until now have never attempted to put them on paper. Everyone who was there must have seen things from a different view point and perspective. Even now, to dredge up those memories and not imagine things differently than they were is not easy. I was 19 years old the previous Sept. 22, 1944. Many times I have compared myself to my own sons when they were that age, at college with hardly a concern for the things that were so important to me at the time. I remember sleeping not too soundly on the evening of the 18th. & getting up at 5:30 AM & eating steak & eggs & yes, all the Marines aboard were served the same meal. This would be the last good hot meal for many Marines & also for our Beach Party. For some, it was the last meal for many of them. As we approached the island of Iwo Jima, gunfire & the flashes of guns from the ships in the distance could be heard & seen. This gave an ominous look to the whole scenario. Coming closer to the island the day got & one became aware of all the ships in the area, battleships, destroyers, destroyer escorts, all types of landing craft & APA's (Amphibious Personnel Attack ship) of which I was a member of The USS Lowndes APA 154. I was a MoMM3c assigned to LCVP #15. (Landing craft vehicle personnel). The Lowndes carried a total of 26 landing craft. Each LCVP transported 36 combat troops. On the morning of Feb. 19 as I remember the 1st wave hit the beach at 9:00 AM. There were so many ships & landing craft that it wasn't until noon that my boat hit the beach & it wasn't easy to find a spot to land. I should mention that our boat crew consisted of 4 men - Jack Weatherbee Cox. (Pasadena, CA), Carmel Fesi SM (HOUMA, LA), Merrill Hart S1c (Long Beach, CA) & myself. Our boat was loaded into the water & loaded with Marines from the 4th Division, 23rd Battalion. The Marines climbed down a cargo net. Once loaded we went to a prearranged area & formed a circle awaiting orders to proceed to the landing area. When the time came to move out, about 8 or 10 boats formed a straight line (abreast) with the intention of hitting the beach at the same time. As we approached the island we could see bombs bursting & hear the rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire & big splashes in the water, later found out they were caused by mortar shells fired from Mt. Suribachi. The Japs were entrenched in caves in the mountain & throughout the island. As the morning wore on Jack Weatherfaee did a great job maneuvering the boat in the rough surf making landing difficult to unload our cargo. The island was mainly volcanic ash from the mountain causing the Marines, with 60 to 80 Ibs. on their back, to sink into the ash almost knee deep. Most Marines ran a few yards & fell face down near the top of a small ridge. As we backed off the beach some lava ash got stuck in the ramp as it was cranked up, had to stuff rags in the opening until we could get clear of the beach area & lower it to clean it out. Returned to the ship & picked up another load of Marines, while maneuvering we passed between the battleship New York & the island as she let loose a volley from her 16" guns & I caught sight of one of the shells as it went over our heads. There was a continuous bombardment aimed at the mountain all day long, since at this time the Marines had not advanced very far. The next time we hit the beach we picked up some wounded & returned to the ship. We were loaded with 9 or 12 - 50 gal. drums of 80 octane gas to be taken ashore, but with all the congestion we were not allowed to land. We went back out to sea & remained off shore through the night ,awaiting orders. Could hear the 5" guns from the destroyers all through the night. There were flares fired high above the island & as they descended they would illuminate the whole terrain. The Marines could be seen running from fox hole to fox hole. It was like watching a tableau from our vantage point, except that it was real & people were dying. Next morning after drifting all day & no place to land we were ordered to unload the gas on a flat barge about 40' by 60'. it was no easy task to roll, push & be pulled by means of a rope in the heavy sea. All by means of manpower, Fesi, Hart & myself while Jack maintained position. I later learned that the barge had been hit by a mortar & blown up. We cast off & again maintained our position through the night. We took turns sleeping on a cargo net & relieving Jack at the helm. In the morning we returned to the ship & cleaned up & had something to eat. We were then told to take 2 Marines (that died aboard) to the island for burial. They were sewn up in canvas body bags. Arriving at the beach we found it was somewhat improved due to the great work of the Beachmasters & Beach Party, some of which came from the Lowndes. 2 members of our Beach Party were killed in the performance of their duties, PhM1c Donald William Bowman & Norman Robert Richards HA1c. We saw many dead servicemen, some were on huge sledges that were pulled to an area that had been excavated. They were then placed in a trough & covered with earth, this was a necessity, both for health & to make room to move men & equipment in & around the beach. Whenever you hit the beach you performed your task & backed off as quickly as possible to make room for other boats & equipment & also it was less likely to be broached & block the landing areas. We returned to the Lowndes with more wounded where they were hoisted aboard the ship on stretchers. Chief Bos'n Pappy Banks devised the method to bring the stretchers up safely. After unloading we transported 8 wounded to a hospital ship. These men needed extensive treatment that could not be provided by our capable doctors & pharmacists. Incidentally the medical staff on the Lowndes did a marvelous job, they were professional in every way , working around the clock for 2 or 3 days with very little rest. One of the 8 had been hit in the stomach by a bomb containing phosphorous & was in bad shape. The hospital ship was about the size of the Lowndes. Painted all white with a big red cross on each side. There was a large platform amidship enabling the wounded men to be transferred by the crew of the hospital ship. Many times I have thought & expressed my feelings & respect for the Marines, the Shore Party & the medical staff aboard my ship. Although we were in landing craft which seemed dangerous enough, we could back off to relative safety, but the Marines & Beach Party had no where to go or hide, they had to tough it out. Hats off to them. When the flag was raised on Mt. Suribachi we were in our boat out to sea & heard it announced from one of the ships that the Stars & Stripes was raised. It gave us a good feeling that the island was being successfully taken despite the fact that it took 30 days instead of the predicted 3 days. The loss of life & wounded on both sides was enormous. This conflict was an effort to shorten the war & save many lives in the process. To all of those brave men who lost their lives, may their souls rest in peace. Sheridan was right "War is Hell".

LEO O'BRIEN - Maiden, MA - Margaret and I attended a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House "Hall of Flags" on February 19, 1994. The program was mostly Marines from the 3rd., 4th. and 5th. Divisions. It was quite impressive with the reading of Medal of Honor recipients and the playing of Taps. The Iwo Jima monument in Washington DC is the only National Monument of World War II and Massachusetts is the only state to Recognize Iwo Jima day. 17 March, 1945- Iwo Jima. Dear Captain: Well, that one is behind us now, and what a great relief it is to be off that damn rock. When we went over the side on D-morning I knew it would be no picnic, but I didn't count on it being as rough as it turned out. Many of my good men gave their lives, and many more were wounded. The ole 3rd. Bn. will have to lick her wounds for quite a spell, I figure. I want to tell you again. Captain, what a swell ship you have. My outfit was treated royally, and every officer and man sends his sincere thanks and appreciation. The Lowndes will stand out in our memories as the best APA in the fleet. Please give my personal greetings to your men. Only wish you could take us back. perhaps later. Major J. Shelton Scales sent above letter to Captain Perdue from that damn rock.

  WALT KARSON - Elk River, MN - Here's what I remember about our part on"D"Day on "Iwo Jima". Memories fade after almost 49 years, age is also a factor. I may be mistaken about some of it. The morning we arrived at our target grid off the coast of Iwo was real hectic. Early chow down. Lower our LCVP and get ready for debarkation of the Marines, Second Division. I was on the winch amidship. Most memorable were the 16" shells that were fired at the cliffs, coming from the Battle Wagon "USS Wisconsin". Can't remember what day it was when word came over the PA system that "Old Glory" had been raised over Mount Suribachi. I was on deck when this happened. Borrowed glasses from someone (think it was an officer, wish I could remember who) and got a good look at the mountain. What a sight, not soon to be forgotten. Also remember a time when a Jap plane flew overhead, general quarters was sounded and every ship in the vicinity started firing at it with 20MM and 5" guns with nary a hit. After cease fire was sounded a lone American plane gave chase and we could see that he got him. That was one less Jap to reckon with. From the deck of our ship I watched our troops assault the beach, cliffs and caves from which the enemy took a heavy toll of our boys. Flame throwers and every kind of ammo was used to overcome the obstacles. After Iwo I think we headed for Saipan with our casualties and also for gunnery training after we missed that Jap plane. Upon my discharge there were several items I brought home with me. 1. A copy of our ship's newspaper dated 19 February 1945. The paper has yellowed and is falling apart. 2. A restricted copy of the color grid for the troop landing areas. 3. A black & white photo showing our troops and wrecked equipment on the beach. 4. Also have a copy of a magazine article written for Collier's Magazine about our landing on Iwo Jima. The article is called "Grim Lesson" and was radioed from Iwo by a correspondent.

WILLIAM L. MARKUS - Chicago Heights, IL - I remember New Years Eve 1944. We were loading supplies and part of the 4th Division of Marines onto the Lowndes. I was in the mess hall having coffee and listening to the radio. Tokyo Rose was on playing all the beautiful records of Glenn Miller, etc. During her show she said, "I know the Marines are loading onto ships in Hawaii for the invasion of Iwo Jima", she said "I don't know the exact date but it will be Iwo Jima." We all know what happened after that. The Lowndes and its great crew played a big part in the invasion of Iwo Jima February 19, 1945.

STANLEY H. DUNN - Honolulu, HI - As for memories of my feelings about Iwo Jima, it is hard after all this time to pick out very much. I know that we all must have had some concern about making a strike that close to Japan. I for one didn't know just how near the home island we were, so of course had some concern. I think that the belief that we had air coverage and a lot of surface ships out there gave me a little sense of security. It wasn't until I volunteered to fill in as a crew on an LCVP to evacuate the wounded that I really felt a part of the operation. When an air raid came over and the ships departed leaving us alone it really hit home to me. We were not a trained boat crew and drifting around out there in the middle of the night got our attention. I will never forget the smell of coffee coming downwind at about 0400 on a dark and rainy morning, we homed in on it and came alongside an LST that had been anchored to serve as Mother Ship to the landing craft. I am sure we were all thinking about running out of fuel and drifting to Japan.

ELLIOTT P. PILCHARD, Oxnard, CA - January 1945 the Lowndes spent a period of time training the gun crews - floating and air targets were used...as I remember we weren't that good - then. But we did accomplish something to be real proud of...during our joint amphibious landing operation training exercises 27-29 Nov. 1944...we set a record time of 19 minutes for lowering all boats. 22 minutes was what was expected. . .we beat it by 3 minutes, not bad. Now it's time... we're trained - the Marines are trained - we're loaded and head west, 27 Jan. 1945 to Eniwetok Atoll. Crossed the International Date Line and "skipped" 1 Feb. 1945. Arrived Saipan 14 Feb. 1945...headed for Iwo Jima 16 Feb. 1945.. .arrived 19 Feb. 1945. As I remember the Navy at Iwo had very little opposition - we had control of the air - but for the Marines and boat crews - landing parties, it was a much different story. The big moment for those of us aboard was when the Marines raised the Flag at Mt. Suribachi, Feb. 23. 1945. The bridge was loaded, everyone wanted binoculars, long glasses and even the scopes on the repeater gyros on the wings of the bridge. I watched through the best binoculars as they raised "01' Glory"...what a memory that is. A lot of work at Iwo - the boat crews bringing back the wounded...we acted as a hospital ship...after landing combat teams. As I remember the "operating room" was large - well equipped - and we had a lot of doctors, etc. When the guys weren't "on watch" we would go and "visit" with those that could have visitors - which was most of them...I think it helped a lot. 3 Mar. 1945...back to Saipan... then to Guam to unload our 350 or so casualties to the Base Hospital or Hospital Ship. We replaced the 7 LCVPs and 1 LCPR that we lost at Iwo. Back to Saipan, 7 Mar. 1945.

GEORGE TUPPAN - LaHabra Hts, CA - What I remember about Iwo Jima. I was the diesel oil king, my duties were to purify the oil by running it through a centrifugal machine (a few friends tell me it's like a cream separator) to remove all foreign matter such as dirt, water, etc. The clean oil was stored in a 1000 gal. tank. This oil was used in the galley stoves and bakery ovens. Also in the boat engines. My 1 able station was the diesel room, my GQ was the aft diesel pump (used only in an emergency or if more water was needed). From topside to my GQ station was one long ladder. I was in the diesel room when GQ was sounded, shut everything down and headed to my GQ station, climbing up the ladder and out of the hatch my head hit the edge of a locker door, which some fool left open and received a gash in my head. Got patched up in sick bay and continued to my GQ station. We had been at 1 Able and GQ for about 50 hours. Got the word that boats were coming in to refuel. My 6' 2-s" was no match for the 6" clearance of the diesel tank. Back to sick bay, for stitches this time. Wounded, but no purple heart. The landing craft could go to any ship for fuel when needed. Proceeded to dispense fuel to the crafts.

WM. R. DAVIS - Portage, IN - I recall at Iwo Jima, the hospital ships Hope & Mercy had about all they could handle and we had wounded Marines brought aboard our ship. We assisted some when not on duty in the radio room. Several of our radio men volunteered to help in sick bay - hospital area where Medics were very busy and needed "Go getters, cleaner uppers, etc." I recall how I was taken at those poor marines and sailors lying all over the place, many near death, that as I entered the first time, I vomited and had to sit aside for a little while before I could be of any help. I could never be a medic - weak stomach. Have never been around anything so traumatic. What a feeling of joy as we heard the ship's horns, etc. as our flag went up on top of Mt. Suribachi!! I cried (unashamedly). Proud! as did many of the crew including officers alike. I am proud to serve with the crew members, Capt. Perdue, his fine staff of officers aboard the USS Lowndes.

EARL ROBERTSON - St. Louis, MO - My remembrance of Iwo Jima, almost half a century ago, puts my memory to work. I seem to recall our convoy reached Iwo around daylight on the 19th of February in '45. I believe we anchored about 5 miles off shore that first day. My battle station was the 60KW auxiliary generator on the fan tail. After our contingent of Marines and Beach Party were unloaded, they rendezvoused a short distance from the ship. Then when everything was ready headed for the beach. I don't recall our ship being in any attack danger. Think we secured from battle stations and went back (ship's crew) to regular watches and maintenance my station was the evaporators. There was quite a lot of running boats, landing craft making runs to the beach with supplies and bringing back wounded. I believe we changed anchorage several times in the next 9 or 10 days. We had quite a few casualties on board when we left Iwo for Saipan then on to Guam. We reloaded someplace for our run to Okinawa, but don't remember where. I have trouble remembering last year or even last month (sometimes last week) let alone events that occurred 49 years ago.

BILL TAYLOR - Elizabethtown, PA - At the time of the battle of Iwo Jima my battle station was in the forward emergency diesel fire pump room. This room was located down at the keel of the ship, directly below the forecastle (fo'c'sle). Ordinarily the room could be accessed from any one of numerous decks below the fo'c'sle, however while at sea all hatches that would have given access from those decks were secured in order to maintain watertight integrity. This left only one way for me to reach my battle station. I had to go to the fo'c'sle, open the hatch and then climb down a ladder from there to the emergency fore pump room. Gun crew members that were close to the hatch helped me by closing and securing the hatch for me as I climbed down the ladder. I was required to wear headphones while at my battle station because the only purpose for my being there was in the event that we were hit and water for the fire main service was not available from the pumps in the engine room, I would be notified to start the diesel engine, take suction from the sea and discharge water into the forward fire main. I didn't know what was going on topside most of the time because the phone circuit I was on was not tied in with the circuits that would have let me know that, however, once in a while someone would tell those of us on our circuit what was going on. Because we were at battle stations for extended times during the battle of Iwo Jima the mess hall did not serve "chow", so we were informed that chow would be brought to us at our battle stations. I was told via phone that Lyman Nedeau was the man designated to deliver "chow" to A Division personnel. A method had been devised to make it easy to make such deliveries to the forward emergency fire pump room. A line (rope, to any land lubbers) had been tied to the top rung of the ladder and the other end of the line reached all the way down to the fire pump room. A bucket was secured to that end of the line and a hook on the bucket was hooked to the bottom rung of the ladder in order to keep the bucket from swinging back and forth. Lyman arrived with my food, opened the hatch and yelled down, "Unhook the bucket." After I unhooked the bucket Lyman pulled it up, filled the bucket and lowered it. While lowering the bucket he yelled "I'll be down soon." Closed the hatch and left. When I looked in the bucket, along with my chow I found a bottle of whiskey. Soon the hatch opened and before Lyman could start down I put the whiskey back in the bucket and yelled "Get out of here and take this with you." I didn't think I needed that kind of trouble. Later I learned that the whiskey had been swiped from the medical store room. Those of us in the "Black Gang" did get topside after GQ to see what was happening and some of us had the opportunity to help bring wounded aboard by assisting in pulling the line that was rigged in such a way that a litter with a man in it could be lifted from a boat bringing wounded from the island. I must confess that I always felt safer "Down in the hole" than I would have felt had I been topside During GQ. There is another incident that I remember happening during the time that the forward emergency diesel fore pump was my battle station. Henry McNamee's cleaning station was that room along with the access area that the ladder was in. Henry was told to chip and paint any areas of his cleaning station that needed it. We were called to general quarters (GQ) and while rushing down the ladder my foot caught and knocked down a gallon bucket of paint that Henry had left hanging from a ladder rung. I spent a few unhappy hours at my battle station with paint on myself and on anything I touched. After GQ I found Henry and had a few choice words with him. I asked him why he left the paint bucket hanging there and was told that he felt sick and left to get some fresh air. He stated that apparently he forgot about it. In those days most of us blamed day dreaming about Dolores as the cause of anything that didn't go well for Henry, so I probably made some ugly remarks. Henry, do you feel that it is necessary for me to apologize after the fifty years that have passed?

CLIFFORD SCHAFFER - Limeport, PA - "My Iwo Jima Memories." The morning of the attack, we were up before dawn. Ships and planes were shelling the island, all I saw was the outline of the island and smoke. I was the engineer on boat No. 21 on No. 4 hatch. We went over the side loaded with Marines and circled around waiting for orders to attack. When I saw all the smoke and heard the explosions, I thought nobody would be left alive on the island. (Boy was I wrong.) When we got the signal to attack all the boats lined up, and headed for the beach. When we hit the beach I dropped the ramp and the Marines disembarked with lots of shelling around us. We were broached and the ramp wouldn't go up. Ensign Chuck Munson was on my boat. Instead of being sitting ducks for the Jap mortars we abandoned the boat and got separated. At this point I was real scared, I remember wishing I was back in Limeport. Then I crawled up on the beach next to a Marine and said to him "This is real rough." He didn't answer me, I looked at him and he had been shot in the head. Then I saw a jeep bogged down in the sand nearby, I crawled to the side and used it for shelter. That was a terrifying night. The next day I saw a boat from the Lowndes, think it was No. 12. I got on and returned to the ship. I was then assigned to another boat. That night we were out and the "R" boat with an officer aboard ordered us to take our boat and scout the south end of the island and look for a disabled boat which we could not find. A ship nearby fired several shells over us into Mount Suribachi. The noise was the loudest thing I ever heard. Later we went back to look for the Lowndes, but could not find it. Another boat informed us that it might have gone out for night retirement to avoid an attack. We were told there was a supply ship where we could get fuel for our landing craft. We found the ship and they threw down two lines and we tied up. I filled both tanks, they asked us to come aboard for a hot meal. We climbed up the lines and had a hot meal and an apple. It was a storage apple but I had not had an apple for such a long time and it sure was a treat. The next day we located the Lowndes and loaded on supplies to take to the beach. On our return trip we took on wounded troops and brought them back to the Lowndes. It was an experience I will never forget. When I saw the American Flag on Mount Suribachi it lifted my spirits.

CHUCK MUNSON - Bettendorf, IA - My recollection of the Iwo Jima invasion begins when we left Eniwetok harbor, not yet knowing our destination until the Intelligence Officer f'unveils" a scale model of Iwo Jima on deck. We were shown the typographical highlites, such as the 3 air fields at Mt. Suribachi, and the cave areas. Iwo was 660 miles from Tokyo. The boat group officers were assigned 8 LCVP's to compile a wave and assigned a beach. Ours was Yellow Beach. We were issued detailed information on Iwo Jima to study. However, we were not prepared for the sand on Iwo Jima. It was black, course, and unstable, not the typical sandy beach. On February 19, 1945, as we arrived at our destination, we were awakened at about 2:30 AM for a steak and eggs breakfast (our last meal?). The yellow wave crew made their LCVP' s ready and then we received the long awaited order "Lower boats". The marines on board were seasick and relieved to disembark into the LCVP's and not as concerned about their future. The boats were loaded and we proceeded to the signal vessel and waited for our yellow flag to be lowered. While we circled we were bracketed with 2 mortar shells, so using good judgment we got the hell out of there. Then our signal was given to proceed to the "Yellow beach two" following the amtracks. (They looked so low, I feared they might sink.) The Beach Party had done its job marking our beach and we could see the enemy fire coming from Mt. Suribachi and from the airport area. We plunged ahead and hit the beach. We couldn't lower the ramp all the way because there were troops still on the edge of the water! We unloaded and one of our passengers, a seaman from the Lowndes, embarked with the troops and ran toward the airfield, we tried to stop him without success. I don't know who he was or if he returned to the ship. Our wave then returned to the ship to unload ammunition for the troops. As we unloaded, a shell fragment struck my life preserver cutting it in half and a small fragment ended up in my right leg. (I didn't realize this until I got back to the ship!) On our 2nd supply run, our LCVP broached and no one was there to help us. We couldn't get our ramp up due to the mortar hit so we "Abandoned ship" on "D" Day at dusk on Iwo Jima beach. I'm not certain how my crew got back to the ship, but I spent the night using whatever LCVP I could commandeer to bring wounded to the hospital ship. We ran under the heavy guns of the battleships, cruisers and the mortar fire from the beach. Thankfully, when dawn arrived and I could see the good ole APA 154 drop its anchor, I was able to get my substitute "Crew" to take me back to my "Home on water". I was excited in anticipation of the homecoming. Many thought Ensign Munson was a goner! I had a welcoming committee with lots of hugs and handshakes. Thank you God for my safe return! I retired to my cabin and when I removed my shoe it was full of dried blood from the small shrapnel hit on the beach. I went to sick bay and passed through the ward room which was full of severely wounded marines. I silently retired to my cabin and dressed my own wound. That was enough excitement for awhile . and I returned to my duties as assistant communications officer. The Navy finally discovered that the wrecked Jap boat was being used as a spotter station and it was finally destroyed. We could watch the progress of our troops on the beach and see them scale Mt. Suribachi. Then someone yelled "The stars & stripes have been raised on top of Mount Suribachi1" We witnessed this historic sight and thanked God for Victory! The whole crew cheered! The mopping up operations took several more months but the Lowndes had more work to do at Okinawa.

JOEL RODRIQUEZ - Hildalgo, TX - In the early evening of the Iwo Jima invasion, someone decided to send cargo to the beach. A full crew of 4 men was put together to deliver the cargo. The crew consisted of Spencer, I believe the other members were Lemley, Stevens as Cox and myself as deck hand. We had a complete crew but none of us were MoMM's. Our boat was lowered along with the cargo - hand grenades and ammunition. We proceeded to the island while enduring the cold & rain. When we approached the island it was dark & we started to cruise & got close to the wreckage of boats scattered along the beach. I was sitting close to Stevens & by the 30 Cal. machine gun. I dozed off for a few minutes & was awakened by bright flares illuminating the night sky. I stood up trying to figure out what was going on, when suddenly Stevens grabbed my life jacket pulled me to the deck. I asked "What's going on?". Stevens answered, "Can't you hear the bullets flying by & going in all directions? Stay down. "Stevie, we're too close to the beach, let's pull back." He said he was trying to find a parking place. We did pull out of the area real soon. As we left the hot & dark area, we kept trying to find a place to land. While doing this, another problem came up-water was rapidly coming into the boat. Stevens said the pumps were clogged & not working & I don't know how to fix 'em. We better get ready to swim because we are just about to ditch this boat in the drink. I didn't like the idea of jumping into the cold water in the dark, but there was nothing we could to prevent it. Like I said before, we had no MoMM on board-they were probably at the "Boston Reunion" having a good time. Lemley, a tall blond with long arms said "Come on guys, move this stuff out of the way and let me try to unclog the pumps." Lemley bent over the boat & opened up the boards. & started to work on the pumps. After several attempts he cleared them of the debris. I don't know how he managed to do it & I never asked him. His efforts saved the boat & kept us from getting into the cold water. After this adventure, we kept on looking for a spot to land. Daybreak was barely beginning to appear-finally we found a place to land. Upon landing we had a reception waiting for us, several wounded Marines trying to hitch a ride to the United States. We told them to get into the boat & helped the ones that were unable to do it on their own. While the Marines were getting comfortable in our bucket seats, I got off the boat. I stepped on something that felt strange. The sand was different & I bent over to grab a handful, it looked like coffee grounds-somehow we had landed on the very edge of "Mount Suribachi". I boarded the boat again & we left the area in search of a hospital ship. We finally found an LST & unloaded the wounded Marines. While transferring the wounded Stevens decided to return to the Lowndes. On our way back to the ship, we had breakfast, we found a wooden box floating in the water. Picked it up & it contained K-Rations or C-Rations-whatever it was, it was good food anyway.

WARREN PROCTOR - Jarrell, TX - On the onset of the Iwo Jima campaign I was coxswain of one of the landing crafts. We had a truck with a 5" gun mounted on it. When we hit the beach the ramp was almost lowered on one Marine who had stepped on a land mine which tore up part of his leg and foot. We loaded him into the boat and gave him a shot of morphine, then proceeded to the hospital ship for attention he needed so badly. On my first trip in, there was an Ensign and a United Press reporter on board. One of my crew asked the reporter if he had to go, he replied that he had volunteered to see what went on and write about it. He was told "You're crazy". The beaches were so deep and the waves so high it was difficult to keep from broaching. A fighter plane was hit by a 5 incher that the Japs rolled out of hiding. Two pilots bailed out of the plane and were picked up. Someone said "War is Hell".

JIM DAVENPORT - San Antonio, TX - Something you probably didn't know. Jerome Freider who died recently was with Don Bowman & Norman Richards when they were killed on Iwo Jima, in fact, he was standing between them and didn't get a scratch. I was in a foxhole with two boys from Houston (Allan "Tex" Collier & Coleman).

DAVE FREDERICK - Altoona, PA - I had my appendix taken out nine days before the invasion of Iwo Jima (I was in the Beach Party) so I missed the landing. I was on the boat deck when the Beach Party was loading and Don Bowman said to me "Here Dave I don't think I'm coming back". He gave me his billfold, keys to his locker and penknife. When I found out what happened on the island I turned in his possessions to my division officer. I had my mother have a mass for him at home. (Ed. note: I helped Bowman administer aid to some of the fellows who were injured, to me this is a very hairy tale and it gives me goose bumps, just found out about it at the Reunion in Harrisburg. Iwo Jima means "Sulphur Island" and the rotten-egg reek of the volcanic vapor pervades the air. On 19, February 1945 a desperate battle began, raging across the 8.5 square miles of the island until mid April, too many brave men perished on this tiny dot of land in the Pacific Ocean, including two members of the Beach Party attached to the U.S.S. Lowndes - Donald W. Bowman & Norman R. Richards, both Corpsmen. So many tons of shells and bombs rained down on every square mile that the shape of the island was actually transformed. The lopsided battle for this barren but strategically located island - site of an airfield that American forces would use to mount air strikes against the Japanese mainland was one of the war's bloodiest engagements. Of the 20,932 Jap casualties, a staggering 19,900 were deaths. We also suffered great losses: 6,831 dead and 19, 217 wounded, the highest in Marine Corps, history. There was no safe place the attacking forces, whose advance was measured in yards rather than miles as Jap fire poured from hidden caves and bunkers. But advance we did, behind bayonets, battle tank-mounted flame throwers and artillery barrages. Ed. Note: Little known facts of this battle was the part the Navy had in it. There were many Navy personnel involved other than those aboard ships, such as Beach Parties and Navy corpsmen attached to the Marine Corps. In fact, there was a Navy Pharmacist's Mate 2c who was one of the six men involved in "The Flag Raising on Iwo Jima". * He is the sole survivor and resides in Wisconsin. Jean's uncle was also one of the Navy corpsmen with the Marines. He suffered injuries to his arm and leg. Eventually he had part of his leg amputated. But he never lost his sense of humor. Now you know something about the family I married into. (Above articles - reprints from Aug.'92 News Letter)

OTTO WALKER - Bim, WV - What I remember about Iwo Jima the most: I was Cook 1c and watched the Marines going through the chow line and seeing the T-Bone steaks and fried eggs on D-Day morning and remarking that we were fattening them up for the kill. Also I'll never forget when they ordered the ship to get underway because of an expected air raid, our anchor was hung up on a wreck. Capt. Perdue made several trips from the bridge to the anchor chain but never gave the order to cut it loose. I was glad he didn't for if he had we would have been out of the battle.

MIKE MICHALSKI - Wustin, TX - "The Battle of Iwo Jima" - When I was not on duty at the throttle controls in the main engine room of the U.S.S. Lowndes APAA 154, I was on deck lending a helping hand where ever it was needed. Most of the time I helped unload the injured that were brought back to the ship from the island. One day, during a break, between arrival of the landing barges that carried the troops to the island and returned with the injured, I was listening to the radio in the jeep that was on deck. The pilot of a pontoon single engine observation plane that was flying over Iwo giving directions to the Battle Ship as to where the next 16" shell should be aimed! Those shells by the way weigh about the same as a Honda. Suddenly, the pilot yelled out "So long fellows, they just shot off my tail". I looked up and saw him coming over our way with his plane in flames. The pilot never attempted to bail out, but stayed at the controls and passed between our ship and one along side, at deck level and went on with his plane until it hit the drink. To save other lives he gave his.

J. SHELTON SCALES - USMC Ret. - Martinsvillie, VA - When I boarded the Lowndes on 31, Dec. 1945 (New Years Day), I was accosted by the ship's XO, whose name I do not recall, warning me that there would be no firing of weapons, setting off explosives, etc. by my Marines in celebration of New Years. I was flabbergasted! I told "this New England blue nose" that such a warning was entirely unnecessary because my troops had not been issued any ammunition nor explosives. So much for this untoward incident. The XO did however, wish me God's speed when I was ready to disembark off Iwo Jima that fateful 19, Feb. 1945. Another experience; when I boarded the Lowndes, I was carrying, in a big brown envelope, the TOP SECRET Operation Order for the Iwo Jima campaign. This highly classified material had to be 1) kept in a locked safe or 2) in my personal possession at ALL TIMES. In my stateroom was a locked combination safe. I tried in vain to find the combination of this safe from first the XO, then the Supply Officer. At evening chow, I was bemoaning the fact I'd have to sleep with these damn orders since I couldn't find the safe's combination. One of my company Commanders said one of his Marines worked for a locksmith, so I had this lad sent up to my stateroom. PFC Hicks (from the mountains of Kentucky) came and not only opened the safe but set a new combination, thus solving a vexing problem for me. The last thing I did before going over the side off Iwo was to close this safe, spin the combination and dare some sucker using these quarters to get it open. Obviously I survived Iwo as I had Kwajalein, Saipan & Tinian. As it turned out, only 2 of the original 38 officers who left the states in Jan.'44 were neither KIA nor WIA - & I was one. Aboard the Lowndes I was a Major Commanding the 3rd Bn, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Div. My 900 man Bn was increased to 1,500 with attached units (133rd C.B Co. Naval gunfire liaison team, Artillery team, etc. Semper Pi)

JACK W. LAIRD - Valparasio, IN - I came aboard the USS Lowndes at Pearl Harbor in December 1944 with a group of PhM's, about 17, I believe. We were not "Ship's Company", but were for "Further assignment" We were there because of the casualties expected during the invasion of Iwo Jima. Boy! Were they right. My duty was as an operating room technician. I remember many wounded Marines - working in surgery 36-38 hours before taking a break. Lots of coffee and sweet rolls, (we had a good baker). One Marine had a leg so mangled it had to be amputated. I held it as the surgeon amputated it and looked at me saying "Throw it over the side". I did, I had daytime thoughts and dreams concerning this incident. Even today I think about it. I remember sharing a pair of binoculars with many shipmates catching glimpses of the flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. At night the ships would "Weigh anchor" and cruise around for safety reasons, but one night we had to be a "Sitting duck" because of some kind of a mechanical problem with the anchor raising mechanism. It was scary! Did this really happen or did I just have a bad dream? My good friend Gordon Buck was assigned to the Beach Party because someone became ill, if my memory is correct. Jerry Frieder, also in the Beach Party had lost his gas mask. Someone of authority decided he would be more likely to need one than me, so he was given mine. After the landing on Iwo Jima he was busy I am sure so he lost mine too. Gordon Buck saw it with my name stenciled on it and assumed that I had come ashore and something had happened to me. When he came back aboard ship he was surprised to see me. After I told him what had happened we had a good laugh.

JOHN L. LACKEY - Corona, CA - I was on the U.S.S. Lowndes from the day it was commissioned to the day it was decommissioned. I was in the boat crew as coxswain on #2 LCVP all the time the time the ship was in commission. Each LVCP carried a crew of 4. My crew consisted of George Rosenbaum (Deckhand) from Bakersfield, CA, Andy Escamilli (Signalman) from New Mexico, Bill Caldwell (Motor Mac) from Wyoming. When the ship went to Iwo Jima on D-day our boat was loaded with Marines. I was in the first wave of LCVP boats to land troops on Yellow Beach. After we unloaded the Marines, we returned to the ship and was loaded with cargo to take to the beach. We unloaded the cargo that day. It was late in the day and the ships were headed out to sea for the night. All the boats were left in the water for the night. The next morning when the ships came back, we were loaded with two cargo nets of mine torpedoes. We stayed in the boat all day, When night came we were signaled to the beach. The Marines asked what we had and what size. When we told them, they said "Wrong size" and for us to get off the beach as quick as we could. We backed off and headed out, a mortar hit the spot we had just left. We were very lucky that the mine torpedoes were the wrong size. It was very dark that night. I put my hand over the side of the boat and touched water. When going into the beach we hit something and put a hole in the boat. We couldn't get to the hole to plug it up. So we signaled to a boat nearby and they came alongside of us. We got all our gear and before getting on the other boat, Caldwell took the fuel caps off and got ready to release the brake on the winch for the ramp, he held the brake until Rosenbaum unlatched the ramp. When Caldwell took his foot off the brake as he got into the other boat the ramp lowered and the boat sank. The next morning when the ships came back we were returned to the Lowndes.

FRANK B. DUBOIS - Tampa, FL - Iwo Jima---This island will be forever etched in the minds of all personnel on the U.S.S. Lowndes. THE GOOD AND THE BAD! The good is that we won! The bad is the tragic loss of so many American lives and the wounded who bear scars the rest of their lives as a living memorial! Another good memory was the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi. I saw the flag through binoculars and that was a great feeling I can assure you. I also heard that a neighboring ship like ours was hit by a Kamikazi and the hit was in the radio shack. How lucky we were! I also understand that our ship's personnel went ashore and brought back the wounded for surgery and care. The following is a Chronology of the days involved in the preparation and attack on Iwo Jima. December 8th, 1944 - U.S.A.A.F. begins 72 days bombardment of Iwo Jima. February 17th, 1945 - 170 frogmen lost on reconnaissance of Iwo Jima defenses. February 19th, 1945 - 4th & 5th Marine Divisions land on Iwo Jima, suffering 2,240 casualties on first day.. February 20th, 1945 - Marines capture Airfield #1 on Iwo Jima & move towards Mt. Suribachi. February 23rd, 1945 - Suribachi stormed and American flag raised on crest! March 16th, 1945 - Organized resistance ends on Iwo Jima.

CLARK O. MARTIN - Richmond, VA - one of the wonders of logistics which was so important to morale was mail delivery. I remember getting mail at some time during the Iwo Jima operation, possibly just before the ship was ordered out of the area. Included with the few letters I received was the overseas edition of TIME magazine. You may remember it was published on thin paper in black and white, except for a red border on the 1st page and it was all news, without advertising or color. I don't know how they produced and distributed it so fast, but I was reading an article in that issue on the Iwo Jima invasion as the ship was in the transport area awaiting casualties from the beach. The news was current and fairly accurate and identified the fighting for Mount Suribachi. However the chart which accompanied the story showed Suribachi at the north end of the island and not the south end, below the narrow section of the land mass. If ever I write to the Editor or Publisher of TIME, I intend to mention that error in reporting. Also at that time I recall sending black sand from Iwo to a co-worker at a previous station.

HARLEY HUGHES - Bakersfield, CA - Enroute to Iwo Jima, Art Wilson, who was from my home town and I exchanged letters for our families, and gave them back after the war. He was on the LCVP boat crew that landed us on Iwo. There were three men to a boat. D+2 after landing on the beach and after about 1^ hours of getting organized & finally getting to the right beach location, it seemed like only seconds before the Japs began shelling the beach. Don Bowman said to me "Harley, lets hide under the jeep," which we did. That was the 1st attack. Then later during the 2nd mortar attack, as I recall. Bowman was killed by the mortar. He was a good guy and I'm glad to be able to Contribute to the Memorial Plaque in the Adm. Nimitz Museum honoring him & Norman R. Richards. Both corpsmen.

EDWARD L. KING - Cool, CA - Here are a few things I remember about Iwo Jima. Also a few questions that maybe some of the gang can answer. I remember when the Lowndes was 4 or 5 hours out from the island and watching, as everyone aboard, the fireworks from, I imagine ships and planes and fire from the Japanese on Iwo Jima. The tracers really lit up the sky. I was on watch or should I say (general quarters) on the 40MM guntub on the bow of the ship when the orders for (1 Able) came across the P.A. system "Boat crews man your boats". About the same time of the switch from GQ to 1 Able, a Japanese plane (suicide plane) was flying over the ships - time was 0800? All ships in the area were firing at this plane. I heard the suicide plane went down the stack of a destroyer on the perimeter of the transport area. The boat crews were manning their boats, the two outboard boats on No. 4 hatch (port and starboard) were smoke boats. Boat No. 19 was assigned to Coxswain L. D. Kindle and his crew on the starboard side. Boat No. 20 was my assignment on the port side outboard. The smoke boats were always first in the water to lay down smoke cover and fog in the area, which we did. In the process of doing this my boat caught on fire, the fire was caused by the smoke generator on our stern (it lit everything up in the area). I remember we put the fire out by dipping our helmets in the water and passing them on to MoMac Steve Vlasak. I can't remember which of the crew was hanging over the side to start our fire brigade? We were able to put out the fire. Also, we had an ensign on board at the time. Who was he? Our crew consisted of (1) myself as coxswain, (2) Valask - MoMM, (3)________- Deckhand, (4)_______- Signalman. Who were No. 3 & 4? The damage to our stern topside was not that bad, although it was scorched the fire never got to the wood. Our boat No. 20 then took its place in the circles with the other landing boats off the port quarter of the ship. The boats, one at a time would peel off from the circle and go alongside their designated cargo net hanging from the ship and load Marines. We would then go into an upside down "V" with troops aboard, at the Line of departure we would go into a horizontal to go in. 1800 RPM's to the line of departure 2100 Rpm's battle speed at the departure. After dropping the Marines off at the beach of Iwo Jima and backing out, one of the crew told me a Marine in a fetal position wouldn't get off the boat. What to do? Then I recalled that the 4th Marine Division 3 or 4 invasions before Iwo Jima. I guess he'd seen too much action and finally snapped. So we took him back to the ship. We then took aboard jeeps and supplies. This time we were stopped at the line of departure. The control vessel told me when to go in, we were held at the line of departure, it seemed like forever. I ran into a few of the boats from the Lowndes 3 or 4, we tied in a nest for about 15 minutes and exchanged K-rations, etc. All of a sudden we were being fired at with artillery, too close for comfort! The boats in the nest went in different directions after cutting the lines from boat No. 20 (mine). Now, who were the other boats in the nest? And the crews? It seems to me that we were about a 5 mile of Mt. Suribachi when all this happened. The control boat gave us clearance to go in. The boats and equipment had been cleaned up or demolition had it ready for landing. We dropped off the jeeps and gear on the beach that we had aboard No. 20. Some how in this time span of 2 or 3 days a few other events took place. Steve Valask MoMM told me we had a hole in the boat just above the water line on the port side, in the engine room. He told me this while were at the line of departure. He stuffed his jacket in the hole, and said bilge pumps working well, so I decided to go into the beach. After dropping off the cargo on Iwo, we loaded wounded Marines on stretchers for the return trip to the Lowndes. The wounded were hoisted aboard the Lowndes on a wire rigged from the ship. It worked perfectly. We were then taken aboard the ship for repairs to the water line hole. The shop's carpenters were amazing, they cut a piece of plywood 2' x 2' and screwed and glued it in place. About this time I was relieved by Joe Freitas. Valask and the other three of us on boat No. 20 named it "Smokin* Bertha" after his wife. Soon after he was sent a "Dear John" from his wife in New York.

DALLAS STRATTON - Belleview, FL - About Iwo Jima, I do remember it was only a few minutes after they left the ship that they were bringing back the wounded. It was very sad.

MITCHELL S. CHASTEEN - Florissant, MO - As you know, all hell broke loose at Iwo Jima at dawn on February 19, 1945. During that campaign I spent many hours on a voice circuit radio in the wheel house. On one such evening all of our 20mm and 40mm started firing at a distant enemy aircraft. I found out later that the targeted aircraft was way out of the range of our armament. The real kicker to this story is that I thought the racket I heard was Jap bullets hitting our wheel house. Needless to say, I was scared to death. I crawled into a corner of the wheel house, and tried to cover my whole body with my helmet. After all the excitement I learned there was never anything to be alarmed about. Suicide planes were a major concern during those days and that probably contributed to my reasoning. At any rate, I don't recall telling anyone how much the incident scared me. But now, the embarrassing story can be told. I was in the section that was on leave when the war ended. What a celebration I had during that 7 day leave at home in St. Louis. Believe me, it was hard to return to the ship.

LYMAN W. NEDEAU - Baldwin, MI - There's not a great deal that I remember about the Iwo Jima campaign. As you know, I was in the Black Gang and was pretty much on duty most of my waking hours. I boarded the Lowndes a Pearl Harbor, Oahu, TH. and the rest is hazy until Iwo Jima. Now while we unloaded troops, I did get on deck to help get some of the first casualties aboard then got a call to standby in the engine room. From then on it was listening to the PA speaker system. About that time, it seems to me that we moved out and loaded ammunition.

FRED BRINKMAN - Columbia, SC - During the battle of Iwo Jima Wes Follette, Jerry Frieder and I became very close. Our U.S.S. Lowndes Beach Party (comprised of 43 men and officers) landed at Iwo Jima from the ship's LCVP landing boats. Wes, Jerry and I were three of eight members of the Beach Party's medical section. Our responsibility on the beach at Iwo was to give first aid and preliminary treatment to wounded Marines and to carry wounded casualties to landing boats for the return to the ships for medical treatment. Two members of our medical section, Donald Bowman of Colorado & Norman Richards of Nebraska were killed by Japanese mortar fire at Iwo. They are both being memorialized with a special plaque provided by our U.S.S Lowndes Reunion Group that will be permanently displayed at the Adm. Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, TX. Three other members of our medical unit were wounded and evacuated back to the ship. There were additional wounded men in our Beach Party, but Bowman and Richards were the only fatalities at Iwo Jima.

FRED BRINKMAN - Columbia, SC -With regard to the Iwo Jima section of the U.S.S. Lowndes history, here are some thoughts that have been shared by three members of our Beach Party. I refer to the factual recordings made with regard to the citations and commendations given to Wesley Follett, Jerome Frieder and myself following the battle of Iwo Jima. While we considered the citations a great honor, Wes, Jerry & I didn't understand why we were singled out for this recognition. We didn't do any more than anyone else. Whatever took place on the beach at Iwo Jima was a team effort by all members of the Beach Party. And our Beach Party couldn't have functioned without support of all of our U.S.S. Lowndes boat crews and all of those with other responsibilities aboard ship. We were all on the beach when Don Bowman and Norman Richards died and others were wounded, and all of our Beach Party members, the boat crews and others on the ship were involved with the many Marine casualties. Follett, Frieder and I had adjacent foxholes in the black sand of Iwo. Follett was Catholic, Frieder was Jewish and I was Protestant. Several times we repeated the prayer we all knew beginning with "Our Father who art in Heaven." We weren't "heroes". (I was downright scared). All three of us were thankful that we were alive and unscathed when we returned to the ship with the remaining members of our Beach Party. I'm sure that all three of us believe that those citations we received in 1945 belong to all members of the Beach Party and our other shipmates on the Lowndes. In summary, if we were able to rewrite those citations of 1945, I firmly believe that Wes and Jerry would want to join me in replacing our names with all the members of the U.S.S. Lowndes who contributed to the important role of our ship in the battle of Iwo Jima.

ELMER TREVILLYAN - National City, CA - On 23 February, 1945 at around 1100 hours, I was looking through glasses while on standby at Iwo Jima and I saw the Marines raise the first flag on Mount Suribachi. I had a Sea Bee working with me and after we took aboard casualties I noticed he was wearing a wrist watch that was out of this world, it was very unique and he said he had made it.

HOWARD CHAPPELL - Wampum, PA - I was a Water Tender and as such you would expect me to be in the boiler room during General Quarters, not so. My GQ station was always topside some where. For Iwo my station was in the starboard passageway on the main deck. My job was to help carry casualties into sick bay when the landing crafts returned with them from the beach. So I had considerable time to watch the action. I remember getting up early, going topside and watching the Marines going over the side into landing crafts and taking off for the assault. Also remember watching small caliber gunfire from the Japs going into the water about 50 yards short of the Lowndes. Thank God! I observed one of our aircraft get shot down and going into the water off our starboard side. This plane made 3 passes over a Jap pillbox, each time going closer, the 3rd time was it. No sign of life after hitting the water. Also saw numerous bodies floating in the water, not a very pleasant sight to see. Then came the 1st boat full of casualties, some pretty sickening sights that I'd like to forget. I didn't sleep well that 1st night but I was all in one piece. On the 2nd and 3rd mornings, going topside I saw many bodies in canvas bags ready for burial, again, not a pleasant sight. The mess hall was open around the clock - cold cuts and coffee. Highlight of Iwo Jima was witnessing the flying of our flag within minutes after it was raised on Mt. Suribachi. Great experience but a tremendous price in lives.

BILL J. BORNHORST - Erianger, KY - I finished amphibious small boat training at Fort Pierce, Florida and was sent to Seattle, Washington and shipped overseas on the 24th of December, 1944. I was stationed in what was called "Tent City" where we were assigned to work parties to unload ships. Then came the big day when I was to report aboard the U.S.S. Lowndes (Hell, I couldn't even spell it). I remember being assigned to the Beach Party. Boy, I thought, how lucky can a guy get? Just think of all the beer and food I could eat while at the Beach Party! I remember a lot of Marines aboard and they were studying maps and layouts of an island called Iwo Jima. Also remember what the Beach Party was going to be, I thought, I never wanted this when I joined. If I remember correctly, we went in on the second day. The first thing I saw was a wounded Marine with one leg and half an arm! He was waiting to be evacuated in the boat that brought us in. I was scared to death for the rest of my stay on the beach. I remember at some point diving into a large foxhole full of Seabees. They were sitting there sipping some hot bouillon and gave me some. I think we were on the beach maybe four days - it seemed like a year to me. I saw the flag go up on Mount Suribachi. We finally left on a LST. I think we had one wounded. (Actually there were at least 9 wounded and two killed in action). After the Iwo Jima campaign we headed for Okinawa and made a fake landing on the opposite side of the island on April 1, 1945.

ERLE NIEMI- Bruce Crossing, MI - We were in a convoy of about 80 ships protected by cruisers & destroyers. We headed out still not knowing where, but it seemed that Tokyo Rose did. She broadcast propaganda out of Japan to demoralize American troops. She announced that our ship had been sunk twice. Obviously her sources were not too accurate or this would not have been written. About half way there they briefed us using a model of the island (Iwo Jima) & what information they had. The island, shaped like a pork chop, was 5 miles long & 2^ miles at it's widest point. There were 20,000 enemy troops there & we were going in with greater fire power & 30,000 Marines. It should have taken about 4 days, but not so. We left there after 10 days & they were still fighting. We arrived at daybreak with all ships anchoring about 15 miles off shore, out of reach of enemy artillery fire. We were loaded with rifles for self protection. I was responsible for 1 of 2 30 caliber machine guns mounted on the boat. We were loaded with 36 Marines and their gear. We were previously instructed as to what position our boat would take & in what wave. A wave consisted of many boats running side by side in a line long enough to cover the entire landing beach. I'm guessing 50 to 100 boats. We were in the 4th wave. As we approached the beach there was a battleship shelling right in our path. We had to break formation & go around it. As we got back into formation on the island side of the battleship, it let off a salvo of it's guns over our heads, still shelling the island. The shells whistled as they went. The concussion caused some hearing loss for awhile. We were issued ear plugs but they did no good in my shirt pocket. Now we are going hell bent for the island, 3 lines ahead of us. As we approached, I observed a line of Jap tanks on the beach waiting for us to come within range. At about that point, our carrier based dive bombers took care of them. It was a beautiful sight. There were Navy observation planes flying around directing the Naval gunfire. Suddenly a piece of the wing or tail tore off & the plane went down into the ocean. Some of the Marines in the boat seemed quite nervous. A Navy corpsman operating with the Marines, placed himself at the entrance to the engine compartment where we were. He constantly fidgeted & adjusted his clothing, taking nips out of something in his shoulder bag marked with a red cross. I later found out that brandy was carried & used for shock. After talking to him I found that he was scared. He had been in on invasions on other islands. To me this was a great adventure, while to him, knowing what was ahead of him, the odds were strongly against him coining back. As soon as a wave hit the boats would drop their ramps & the Marines ran out. Then the boats backed off & another wave hit. One of my responsibilities was to man the winch that controlled the ramp. As we approached I looked up at Coxswain Stoner & the term "Broaching Stoner" came to mind. Now this is not where you want to dally. There were many boats & men quickly moving around amongst enemy shell fire. This is where I realized the importance of training. Stoner brought us out every time. Also remember looking at the beach & it was packed with Marines laying in the sand. Three previous waves of men were pinned down right where they left the boat. There didn't seem to be much room to add more men. We wanted to back off & run for safe water as soon as possible. I dropped the ramp, the Marines ran ashore. These Marines had been trained to dig holes on the beach for protection & not to be on the water as we were. We backed off as I cranked the ramp up. Other than the fact that we were busy at the time, I chose not to look back. We returned to the ship for another load of Marines. They climbed down cargo nets slung over the ship's side into our boats. We got into formation & headed for the beach. Now, one became aware of the possibility of getting hurt playing this game. The thought occurred to me that sitting at mother's table right now would be mighty comforting. I do remember that this did not make a whole lot of sense for so called civilized people to go through this elaborated effort to slaughter one another as fast as we could. I was grateful though, that we could keep this death & destruction away from home & those we loved. We were loaded with 12 55 gallon drums of high octane gasoline & went back to our control boat for instructions as to where to unload. The beach, approximately 1 mile long, was so littered with damaged equipment at this time & shelled so heavily that there was no chance to land anything. We were instructed to stand by. That meant to run circles off the stem with other boats & wait for a call. This was done for 3 days & 3 nights. Small arms fire was unable to reach us so, we spent this time pretty much watching the war - 50 yard line seats, so to speak. We watched destroyers & patrol boats shell Mt. Suribaci. The mountain was honeycombed with tunnels & artillery emplacements protected by steel doors. From here they were able to shell us directly with mortars from anywhere on the island. So it took only a short time to litter the beach with damaged supplies & dead men. The fact that it was shelled so heavily made it impossible to clear space to land additional supplies. One night several of us from our ship tied our boats side by side & visited. With power off, we drifted too close to the island when an enemy machine gun opened up on us. We had practiced with machine guns using tracer bullets but the effect is quite different when these things are caning towards you. As swabbies we moved exceptionally fast, with knives drawn, cutting lines to separate boats & move to safer waters. The Army had come in with their amphibious vehicles that went directly ashore, their tanks, & other heavy equipment not used by the Marines. Our flares, at night, pretty well lit up the entire island. During 1 of the days while floating around, 1 of the guys on a nearby boat yelled "Hey Niemi, look up there". I looked up & on top of the mountain was our flag. This I'm sure jacked up the moral many degrees, it did for me. The next time I looked up, a short time later, there was a larger flag. At the time I thought I must be wrong but many years later it was confirmed that the 1st flag was smaller. The raising of the 2nd one was staged by a photographer. This became 1 of the most popular photos of the war. It is now in the form of a statue in Washington, D.C. We finally got our call to go in & unload. We had arranged the drums in the boat so could be easily rolled off. I dropped the ramp & Stoner held the boat in line as 3 of us remaining crew rolled the drums onto the beach. As we backed off, I looked back. A shell hit our 12 drums of gasoline & they went up in fire & smoke. Better we had dumped them over the 1st. day. On the way back to the ship we met the Army Ducks. They were waving their arms at us & cussing us out. Thought it was odd, we were on the same side out here. Then we realized because of our speed we created quite a wave. Loaded they ran very low in the water & there was a danger of swamping them. Back at our ship we were hoisted up to the rail, a corpsman came from sick bay & handed each of us a shot of brandy. The ship's crew were very surprised that we made it back. A few boats were lost & scuttle-butt had it that ours was 1 that didn't make it. Our boat was fueled & another crew took it out again. After some rest I was assigned to a 50 foot barge. This was capable of carrying trucks & tanks ashore. With a crane a jeep & 3 2-wheel trailers with supplies were loaded. We arranged the vehicles to be ready to go, we had learned that our chances were best with the least amount of time spent on the beach. As we hit, I had to go through a trap door to the engine compartment to keep them running. In order to back off, the running of these engines was most essential. This was 1 busy sailor; switching, untying & reassembling sea strainers. Here, at the risk of losing some machoism, I might say I was scared. Would much rather be topside where I could see what was going on... jump, run, or swim as required. Besides unloading cargo we had taken on casualties, about 15 or 20, many who appeared to be young lads with tags tied to their shirts just sat there staring into space - battle fatigue - they saw more tragedy then most see in a lifetime. 1 had a battle dressing across his throat with volcanic sand & blood showing. He laid there looking very dead until we were out a ways & he became sea sick. It was pitiful watching him. As we approached the ship we were assigned to deliver the casualties it began to move. We chased it with the Captain looking down on us from the bridge. We shook our fists & cussed at him, we were concerned about the wounded bouncing in the boat when they should be in sick bay. Normally you don't get away with cussing out a skipper but he must have felt compassion for the wounded as nothing was made of it. He finally anchored & we were hoisted up & unloaded. We went back to our ship where casualties were also brought aboard. The walking with their bandaged wounds ate in the mess hall with us. At the time I served as Master at Arms, responsible for mess cooks & those serving brig time. There was a quiet lad named Morton with the deck crew. He was not rebellious but when he was put to work they had trouble finding him. As we were leaving we were checking to see who made it & who didn't. All the boat crews made it but we were missing a few of the Beach Party. I asked one with shrapnel in his leg if he had seen Morton. He told me that the last time he saw Marten he was under a jeep that was hit with a shell. He didn't see Morton again. Finally it was announced over the PA that all boats are to be secured, hatches battened down & the ship ready for sea duty with a clean sweep down fore & aft. There was still fighting on the island & as I said earlier, we became aware of the possibility of getting hurt.

ROBERT J. HENKELS - Dyersvilie, IA - After watching Mash for years - I figure we did a lot of meatball surgery, especially after the Iwo Jima invasion. We picked up a lot of casualties and the surgeons worked all night as we went out to sea. I'm sure a lot of lives were saved as a result of the skills of the surgeons. We didn't have too many seriously wounded after Okinawa.

VINCENT G. HALBAUER - Kansas City, MO - When we were at Iwo Jima I was put on air watch. While on duty for some time I could see the Marines had taken over operations and put up the American Flag. I reported to the Officer of the Deck that the flag was flying over Mt. Suribachi. He was very happy to hear this and I felt pretty good that I was the first one to see the flag go up.

HARRY CONTRERAS - Mesa, AZ - The afternoon of the 1st day of the landing at Iwo Jima I was on watch on the signal bridge when Lt. Richardson (Signal Division Officer) asked me to volunteer for signalman on an LCVP. As the landing crafts from the U.S.S. Lowndes were still on Purple beach, crews were needed for the next day. Other non-boat crew volunteers and I went to Red Beach and salvaged some of the boats that were beached there. We reported to an LST for duty. Early the next morning (2nd day), we went to various beaches and loaded injured personnel. The injured went to ships assigned to treat different types of injuries. Our boat crews and I did not return to the Lowndes for three days, although I was ship's crew, not a boat group member. I am proud to have volunteered to do my duty on the invasion of Iwo Jima with all other boat crews and shipmates of the U.S.S. Lowndes - APA 154. As years pass the exact days and times are hard to pin down, but I've tried to be as accurate as possible.

JACK B. HOVEY - Pasadena, CA - D-day: "When anxiety becomes Reality". After dispatching Marines on the beach, returned to the ship and picked up ammo. Returned to beach and unloaded. Returned to ship Picked up cargo net full of rations and two Marines sewed in canvas that had passed away. Back to the beach. D-day + 1 : Had high octane fuel aboard and no where to drop it, unable too reach beach because of load. Was short handed because Leo O'Brien and Carmel Fesi had to watch barrels of fuel Lt. Gager sent a replacement to man the 30 caliber gun turret. as they passed him (Norman Treanor) from their boat to ours he jumped on the stern sheets, grabbed the barrel of the gun, it spun around in the turret, hit the stop on the port side and discharged a shell through his right hip and abdomen. Blew him into the water, I wonder what his condition was and where he is now.

FRANK MILLER - Kearns, UT - I remember watching the planes, bombs, rockets, etc. going off. My teeth were chattering and my knees knocked. I said to myself, it's not that cold out here, you're scared aren't you? I said to myself you're damned right I am scared. I thought only a fool would not be scared. I read in a book, "What does it mean to be brave "To do what you have to do when other people are counting on you." I feel this explains us all. As you well know, it was not very much fun, but I would do it again. I was just a stupid young kid then. Now I'm still stupid , Just older. We were not heroes but men who did what we had to do. On December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor I tried to enlist but the line was so long it took until December 14th to get to the head of the line.

E. MAX COLE - New York, NY- While the Lowndes was plowing its way through the waves enroute to Iwo Jima, Ensign Munson & I made a rhythm game out of those three islands we were approaching: Iwo Jima...Haha Jima...ChiChi Jima. We would pronounce them over & over & faster & faster to sound like a train, then stretching out like a railroad whistle: OH...KEE...NAH...WAH.. Pretty superficial, but guys on the way to who-knows-where can divert themselves in crazy ways. And we had a suspicion we'd be going to Okinawa, too, so we weren't far off the mark. One night we heard Tokyo Rose. She knew what our fleet was up to. I suppose she should, as we'd been shelling Iwo for days with our battlewagons, cruisers, & planes had been giving that hunk of land plenty of hell too. Tokyo Rose was telling us something like this: "We know you're coming to get killed at Iwo Jima. (She pronounced it WAH-JEEMA). But just think, boys, how those pals of yours back home are romancing your girl friends & wives while you're way out here where you don't want to be, & probably won't come back from." Rose didn't bother us all that much; we even thought she was funny. We knew what she was trying to do to us. It wasn't like catching a plane or ship back Stateside any time we wanted. It was an eyeful that first morning of the invasion of Iwo. As we came in toward the island, the shelling had set up a tremendous cloud of dust over most of it. Shells continued to hit from Mt. Suribachi to the north of the island blowing the dirty sand to the winds. Battlewagons were standing off to the north, pouring in their 16" shells. I was at my station at the cargo nets as the Marines climbed over the side to the LCVP' s that would carry them into the beach. Guess they would need the steak they had at breakfast early that morning to carry them through what might be real agony ahead. Yet, at that time, no one knew whether this invasion would be a walk in the sun or another inferno like Tarawa. It turned out to be like Tawawa, all right, only worse, tho the Gy-renes didn't know it then. One of them said to me; "Doesn't look like anything could be alive on that island after all that pounding we've given it." I think that was a wish as much as a statement. I wonder if he survived what he went into. There are others on the Lowndes who can describe that run to the beach far better than I. never set foot on the shore, & prayed I wouldn't have to. But whenever we were away from our ship duties, enlisted men & officers alike would be on deck to witness at a close level probably what no other fighting men on a mountain or ship could ever have seen in comparative safety: incredible violence. The Japanese were holding their ammunition for the Marines ashore, knowing that any APA or AKA was not a cruiser, & a poor target. So our ship & so many others moved & stood in, unbelievably close to shore after we realized we were not a prime target for the Japs. From the ship, the scene spread out before us was incredible: after that 1st day, getting munitions & tanks ashore, the battle was joined: fire from every kind of ship, tanks seen easily moving along the ground which was bereft of any tree or bush to the combatants. Planes dive-bombing, & some hit. I remember seeing one pilot jumping out of his plane, the chute failing to open, & his legs twisting helplessly as gravity was bringing him to his death. This scene was a combination of both horror & fascination. Fear was there, too, for so long. We had been expecting a fairly quick victory; instead our men were bringing in casualties by the boatload, & our doctors were doing their best to patch them up. Most of them were badly burned - ironically, many from our own mortars shooting to mark the battle line, but falling short & injuring our own men. This conflict was unique, & I believe the brave Lowndes men & officers who were dirtied from that rugged beach & who felt the whir of a shell or the sting of a bullet can truly be called heroes - & God bless the two men who didn't make it through. (Donald Bowman & Norman Richards). Both Pharmacist Mates. As communications officer, I was in the radio room when the news came: the ticker that said: "Old Glory is flying from the top of Mt. Suribachi." I rushed to the deck with my binoculars, & sure enough, there she flew. The Japs were throwing shells & mortars at it, but none were hitting. This was one of the greatest thrills of my life. It was imprinted on my mind forever. When I finally saw the picture of that scene, I said: "Look at that! What a statue that would make." I was right. There are many: One you can see just across the bridge in Washington DC near Arlington cemetery. Here is a picture of valor Americans can always be proud of. And we men of the U.S.S Lowndes are a part of it.

CONNIE MICHALSKI - Austin, TX - (Cont'd) Taking the casualties from the deck to sick bay for treatment. Seeing the guys on the stretchers was one thing, but, walking in & putting the fellow you are carrying on one table & seeing the doctor at the next table sawing off a fellow's arm between the elbow & shoulder, really made you stop & think. On another trip to sick bay there was a guy on the next table who had been hit by phosphorus from the shells that would explode over the island at night for light. When phosphorus contacts the skin it eats inward & there is no way to stop it. The guy that had been hit was asking the doctor "I'm going to be all right, ain't I doc? I've got a wife & two kids at home." Then you walk back on deck & see that the landing craft is empty of casualties & it moves forward to a huge net hanging over the side of the ship where on the deck above, the next group of Marines await to hear their names called to go down the net into the landing craft for the trip to the island. As you know most of them & some of our own didn't make it back. Ask Bud. At night the troop carriers would hoist anchor & go out for night retirement to keep from being sitting ducks for Kamikazes.

ORBIE L. DICKSON - Grand Saline, TX - Say Bud, I do remember our younger days when we lived for the next few minutes & didn't know how many of those we had left. I guess Iwo Jima was the roughest- of them all. We landed & immediately received a barrage of mortars. The intelligence officer was wounded along with several other men. We finally got our foxholes dug. Yours was only a few feet from mine & I still don't know where you were when your spot received a direct hit. I started digging in the lava rock when you approached me. I was shocked, but spoke to you. When you didn't answer, I threatened you. You made me understand that you could hear nothing. I was glad it wasn't any worse. We stayed on Yellow Beach 2 long enough to see the fireworks from exploding ammo dumps. We were also treated to the flag raising that became quite famous. Lots of rough times, lots of good times & now we are old timers. Yellow Beach 2 was shown in the movie Iwo Jima & a lot of us were in it. (Ed. Note:) C.A. Marcum BM1c was in the same foxhole with me & received shrapnel in his leg. It was midnight when that mortar hit. Pretty miserable night, it had been raining most of the day and trying to get a little shut-eye was kinda rough.)

JIM FRIEDEN - Silver Lake, IN - The one thing that is uppermost in my mind is that I survived & that the U.S.S. Lowndes was still afloat after the invasion of Iwo Jima. I copied code for thirteen straight hours.

JIM BUSSARD - Columbus, OH - While sailing west, I was amazed at the number of ships that we joined. A lot were at Eniwetok where we picked up supplies. I was lucky, I got to go down in the hold of our ship to load things into a cargo net. It was warm (HOT!!!) down there and we opened cans of warm juice to drink. As we lay off Saipan we saw B-29's take off in a steady stream. It was here we lost our Executive Officer. One evening during G.Q. he was smoking a cigar on deck and he was sent back to Pearl Harbor. Guess he didn't want to go to Iwo Jima. The Beach Party that went in on the 19th was supposed to stay 3 or 4 days and we were to relieve them. They were wiped out the first day and we were told that we would go ashore on the 20th. We were on G.Q. all night and I slept with all my gear behind a transmitter. Going ashore in the landing craft, Jim Ryan asked me if I was afraid. He said I was because I didn't know what I was getting into. He was afraid because he knew, having made several in the Mediterranean area.. As soon as we landed and unloaded, I began to understand what Jim was talking about. The wounded were being brought to the beach to be evacuated. The first one to enter our boat was bandaged from head to toe and was more red than white. As we walked away, we passed a shell hole with a box in it. There was a Marine? Sailor? sitting on the box and as we passed by I saw that the other side of his head was gone. There seemed to be a lull in the activity on the beach. There was a block house several floors deep on the beach and there was at least one Japanese in it. He refused to come out, so some one opened a drum of fuel and let it run down. They ignited the liquid, I heard a scream and realized that this was the real thing. While setting up our command post it was noted that we didn't have enough burlap bags to build up protection. The beaches were pretty well cluttered up toward "THE BIG HILL"; out about 100 yards from us they had landed two trucks. The trucks had bags on board. I said I would go and get some. Must have forgotten that you don't volunteer for anything in the Navy. I was about half way to the trucks when the mortars started going off. The trucks were hit first. I had just passed an armored personnel carrier lying on it's side with a dozen or so bodies around it. I didn't know where to run. Everyone seemed to be gone. I laid down on my stomach with my head against the slope of the terrain. Put my arms around my head, could hear the mortars going off and fragments going by. I couldn't move, pray, or anything. I did shake a lot. I felt a nudge in my lower butt and raised my head and saw blood. I became calm and quit shaking. I knew I had been wounded and also knew I was going home. I didn't realize how badly I had been hit and had no thought of dying. I threw my carbine, helmet and jacket away and started crawling toward where I thought my group was, didn't even think of getting hit again and kept crawling to where I thought I'd come from, hollered that I had been hit and got no answer. Thought my outfit had been wiped out. While crawling, I felt as if I had a mild stomachache and realized my canteens were twisted and I was crawling on one. I unhooked my belt and felt better. When you crawl over sand, everything looks the same. Something or someone was with me because as I crawled up the slope, there was the Beach Party. Either Don Bowman or Norman Richards came over to me and later Jim Hall wrote my mother stating that I said "Stay down, no sense both of getting hit." I was bandaged up, given a helmet, plasma and a cigarette, then carried to a landing craft, I remember hearing the bottom scraping as it backed off the beach. I never got the chance to apologize for calling them damn fools for exposing themselves or thank them for saving my life. The shrapnel entered my bladder and hit several loops of my intestines. I lost a lot of blood and was probably in shock because I don't remember having much pain. I came to in a big white room and- was receiving blood -in both arms. I asked for a drink and was given a piece of wet gauze to suck on. The next thing I knew it was four days later. I was taken to an Army hospital on Guam, Later shipped to a Naval hospital in San Diego. Spent the rest of my time stateside and assigned to duty on a PCE which had been converted to a weather ship. I only needed 3 point for discharge so they transferred me to Great Lakes for my discharge on January 4, 1946.

ROBERT B. HAIL - Lubbock, TX - I was in the boat group during the Iwo Jima invasion, we were unable to make it back to the ship for about 3 nights. As you remember, our ship went back out to sea at night so as not to be a target for the enemy. When we were finally able to get back to the ship, we were given a couple of days off. When we rested up. 0. A. Smith and I got the idea to jump ship, go over to Iwo Jima and look for souvenirs. Our goal was to go to the edge of the air strip and cut out one of the Rising Sun insignias on Jap Zero. We had just about reached the runway, when we noticed a bottle of Saki setting on the ground. I was just reaching down to pick up the bottle when a S. P. yelled "Don't pick that up". Immediately we were put under arrest and ushered back to the beach where we were loaded on the next available LCVP. You can imagine that two Navy guys wearing white hats, scouting around on the beach, stood out like sore thumbs, but I'm sure glad they saw us, as that bottle was a land mine and we could have been blown to bits.

Sgt. BILL D. ROSS - OSMC- Author - "It was unmitigated hell. We'd expected to take the island in a few days. But 10 days later it was a hodgepodge of destruction. Anyone who lived was just lucky. It was horrendous. And then, strangely, it got worse."

BUD KAUTZ - McHenry, IL - My recollections of Iwo Jima begin while serving aboard the destroyer USS Reid, on 26 December 1943 we were about 1000 yards off Cape Gloucester, New Britain shelling the beach in preparation for our troops hitting the beach. My GQ station was No. 1 fireroom. With both boilers lit and barely moving along at a few knots, it got mighty hot down there. Every once in awhile one of the watch would go topside to get a breath of fresh air. I was leaning on the gunwale on the fantail when I saw the LCVP' s heading for the beach I said to the fellow standing next to me "I wonder how those guys feel going into the beach". Little did I know then that on 20 February 1945 I'd find out. On that day I don't recall my feelings other than one of anxiety and anticipation of what was in store for us when we set foot on the beach. I do remember running across the open field helping carry a litter with a wounded Marine on it and seeing the guy next to me drop to the ground when a mortar almost hit us. I was lucky, being young and thinking "It can't happen to me". Oh yeah? Also recall helping Don Bowman administer morphine to Derral Easter (A member of our Beach Party). Will never forget the glassy eyed look in his eyes as the drug took affect. Many times when I see or read of young people taking dope these days this comes to mind. I was a Motor Mac but had no Motor Macing to do on that day so tried to lend a hand wherever possible as so many of the Beach Party did. The so called first aid station was busy, busy, and the wounded were directed to the line of casualties waiting for treatment by our very able corpsmen who were doing a fine job under trying conditions. Put one Marine carrying his helmet and rifle and bleeding from a head wound in the line. I turned away to others and before I knew it he started walking away, when I asked him where he was going he said "They need it more than I do, I've got a job to do". He put on his helmet and trudged toward the front line. Wonder how he made out. Later that night Chuck Marcum and I decided to crap out in a foxhole, it had been raining lightly all evening but we finally got to sleep a bit, but at midnight a mortar fired from the wrecked Jap freighter on the north end of the island blew us out of the foxhole. The first words I heard were from Marcum "Those SOB'S woke me up". He had shrapnel in his legs and my eardrums were punctured. It was quite a blast. They say if you hear it, no problem, if you don't, watch out! I don't remember hearing that mortar or not. I could go on about what took place on the island. But now I have finally returned to the ship and more memories come to mind. Passing by sick bay where our surgeons were very busy I heard a Marine who had part of his arm amputated say "Oh well, I didn't want to play tennis anyway". I must say, even tho I won't admit it to the Sea going Bell Hops my respect for the Marines as a fighting unit went up. In closing, all I have to add is to say that the crew of the Lowndes and the Beach Party did one helluva job during this campaign and I'm proud to have been a part of it. Bud K. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow shipmates for their contributions citing their feelings and experiences of this fateful Iwo Jima operation. Only with their help was it possible to put this booklet together.