FEBRUARY 19

On this date in 1945 during World War II, the Battle of Iwo Jima began; it lasted until March 26th.  Iwo Jima is a little dot of an island in the Pacific just 750 miles south of Tokyo.  It's surface covers only 8 sq miles - as a reference, the City of Cincinnati covers about 80 sq miles. 

This small piece of land, formed by a volcano, counted 6,821 dead American soldiers when all was said and done, while another 19,000 left the battlefield wounded.  The Japanese lost about 18,000 men.  The American force was made up almost entirely of Marines with naval support.  

Do you get the picture?  The two countries put more than 40,000 men on this rock; about 200,000 got involved counting, air and navel units.  All in just six weeks.  

In case you weren't aware, the picture below memorializes our battle won.  The fight started on this date 73 years ago today.