Nightmare on Iwo Jima: A Marine in Combat

4. Over the Side

Cha pte r 4 Over the Side O n February 23, the day after the flag raising at Mt. Suribachi, we finally received the order to disembark. This time the order was not rescinded . Bill Crawford, our captain, explained our plan: we were to gather at the edge of Motoyama Airfield No.1, one of three airfields on the island, and await further instruction. We went over the side and into the landing crafts heading toward the beach. Our crafts were tossed by the big waves and swift undertow. As we approached the beach, Mt. Suribachi in its majestic size looked down on us and appeared to beckon us sinisterly to land. Its height of nearly 560 feet cannot be appreciated unless it is expressed in terms of something to which one can relate: it is as high as the Washington Monument or, according to architectural standards, as tall as a forty-four-story office building. I gazed at the others in the craft; their faces reflected the appearance of purpose, determination, seriousness, and an occasional smile. There was a definite air of exhilaration among the men. Morale was 28 LANDING high and contagious. The feeling can be best described as that of an impatient football player sitting on the bench and eagerly waiting to be called by the coach to get into the game. Our anxiety to "get into the game" supplanted any sense of fear. Yes, certainly there was apprehension about not knowing what to expect, but there definitely was not fear at this point-that came later. Approaching the island, we were overcome by the purpose of our mission and dedicated to achieving the expected high level of our performance. After the Fourth and Fifth Divisions had secured a toehold on the beach, the Fifth swung left to Mt. Suribachi and to the west shore while the Fourth turned north along the east coast. Elements of both divisions advanced inward on Airfield No.1, just a few hundred yards from the beach. Airfield No.1 was located in the southern part of Iwo Jima where the island is just about one mile wide. The flat terrain offered no protection from the invisible enemy firing from undetected positions. That, coupled with the congestion of men in a condensed area in a frontal attack, resulted in a heavy loss of lives. It was at this point in time that the Twenty-first and Ninth Regiments of the Third Division were called to spearhead the center of the line and pursue the attack on Airfield No.2. The Third Regiment of the Third Division remained afloat in reserve. When we reached the beach, the ramp was lowered. We rushed out and, in compliance \"ith Captain Crawford's orders, ran up to the designated location, the edge of Airfield No.1. As soon as we regrouped, Lieutenant McGinnis told me to follow him to a certain large shell crater, which he had selected as an observation post for K Company and from which I could direct my mortar fire. We reached it only to be greeted by enemy shells. McGinnis turned to me and said, "Damn, this is a hot place." In that crater with us was the body of a Marine who had just been killed. He was sitting against the slope of the crater, a cigarette still burning between two of his fingers and a rifle in his other hand. He had been decapitated. Having met our first objective, to pass through another company that had been pinned down between Airfield No. 1 and Airfield No.2, we moved on toward our next objective, to capture Motoyama Airfield No.2. As we approached the airfield , I was pinned down by enemy machine gunfire. The bullets peppered the ground all around me, coming close enough to kick the dirt onto my face. It stung so hard I thought I had been hit. I brushed my hands across my face and reluctantly pulled them down, expecting to see blood. Seeing none, I moved out of there fast and joined McGinnis. Having witnessed it all he asked, "Now are you glad you landed?" Clyde 'Yac" McGinnis The most understanding and congenial person in our company was Lt. Clyde McGinnis, from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was about thirty years of age, which was the basis for his claim as the oldest man in K Company. McGinnis was a former track star at...