Iwo Jima Anniversary Ceremony to be held Sunday
A pivotal battle that resulted in one of the most iconic images of World War II marks its 81st anniversary this week and will be remembered again locally in Cape Coral.
The Iwo Jima Anniversary Ceremony will take place this Sunday at Eco Park in front of the Iwo Jima monument beginning at 11:30 a.m. presented by the Pfc. Paul E. Ison Detachment 60 Marine Corps League. The Marine Corps League has commemorated the anniversary of the flag raising at Mount Suribachi since the monument’s relocation to Veterans Memorial Park in 1997.
“The Battle of Iwo Jima was the most costly, bloodiest battle that the Marine Corps had ever been in,” said retired Major Marine Tim Kenney. “We started this, we probably had about 40 veterans there. The preponderance were Marine, but there was also Army, Navy, Air Force — and we honor them all, and we can’t forget what they’ve done. We can never say thank you enough, because otherwise, there’s an old saying that those who don’t study history are cursed to repeat it.
“We have to be thankful for things and we have to remember that there was a price paid for things.”
Kenny said for those who have never attended an event, and also for those that have never missed one, it’s a day of great significance.
“Every year during this event -the emotions from the veterans — it takes them back and it’s a debt of gratitude and they’re feeling it,” he said. “For the spectators, those that are relatives and family members, there’s a lot of empathy. They are feeling this. And for the younger ones, like for instance, we’ve had people bringing children, which I think is wonderful — it’s a learning experience for them.”
The remembrance will feature the Cape Coral Police Department Honor Guard, the National Anthem sung by Senior Vice Commandant Matthew Giambrone, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Firing Party, Guns n Hoses Pipes n Drums, a bugler, and keynote speaker Michael Pederson, a retired Marine Corps Major.
Following the keynote speaker’s remarks will be veteran recognition, a rifle salute, Taps, a flag folding presentation, and a wreath placement.
The day is, of course, a look into the battle itself and what the iconic image that resulted from it meant to millions. Eco Park is home to a massive Iwo Jima monument, one of three crafted from the original molds created by sculptor Felix de Weldon in 1945.
The Battle of Iwo Jima spanned from Feb. 19 — March 26 of 1945 where the United States Marine Corps and Navy eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima — after thousands of casualties — from the Imperial Japanese Army. The battle is said to have involved some of the most fierce and bloody battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II.
Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured his iconic photo of five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the United States flag atop Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. That image was transformed into a statue thanks to de Weldon and sits in Arlington, Virginia, dedicated in 1954.
The Veteran’s Memorial at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, which was constructed in 1997, features one of just three original, one-third-scale models — the two others being in Liberty, Virginia and Parris Island, South Carolina.
The 20-foot statue was originally at the Rose Garden in 1965, commissioned by community founders, Jack and Leonard Rosen, before being moved to North First Bank in 1980. In 1997, it moved to its current location along the then-newly constructed Midpoint Memorial Bridge. The memorial was also restored in 2011.
“You can go around the country to various Marine Corps bases and see that they have replicas of this,” Kenney said. “Ours is an original. It’s going to be here forever. No one can ever take it, and it’s near and dear, not only to the Marines — other people see it, and it has meaning to them, too. It’s very special.”
Four Mile Cove Ecological Park Veteran Area is at 2500 Southeast 24th St.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com