We have all read the histories. We have seen the documentaries, and the footage. But until you have walked the battlefield, and seen the landscape the realities of the stories don’t sink in. Whether it is the beaches in Normandy, the hedgerows of Belgium, the fields at Gettysburg, the hills surrounding Khe Sanh, the beaches of Iwo Jima, or Belleau Woods it never really sinks in to your soul how difficult the task and the battles were.
Here are two links to some photos from Iwo Jima (Internet Explorer and non-microsoft browser). The open expanse of Invasion Beach, the caves and just how hard it could be to dig out the enemy gunners, and then finally the terrain disadvantage when looking over Invasion Beach from Surabachi.
Sobering.
Looking at this, it should not come as any surprise why Marines hold our history in such reverence. Semper Fi.