The following story was submitted by DAV, an organization that aims to empower veterans by fighting for their interests on Capitol Hill, educating the public about the sacrifices and needs of veterans as they transition back to civilian life, and ensuring that they can access all benefits available to them. You can read more about them here.

James Blane remembers being told that landing at Iwo Jima was going to be a quick and simple mission and a welcome relief to his unit, which had already done three amphibious assaults in the Pacific.

“‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll only be there about seven days,’” he recalls his leaders saying.

“Their analysis of Iwo — because it was so tiny and it looked like a piece of cake to go in there and take — was a very poor analysis.”

At first look, the 8-square-mile island appeared to be an easy target, with its black volcanic ash beaches, the 550-foot Mount Suribachi to the south and two airfields to the north. During World War II, Japanese forces used it as a strategic launching point to intercept U.S. bombers headed for the Japanese home islands and to attack the U.S. presence on the Mariana Islands.

The U.S. needed to take Iwo Jima to quell Japan’s aerial attacks, to use its airfields as emergency landing points for crippled bombers and to extend the range U.S. planes could reach into Japan’s territory.

However, what planners failed to consider was how arduous it was to maneuver in volcanic ash and how dug in the Japanese forces were; they were well trained and heavily armed, and their network of tunnels linked their defensive positions. Days of bombing ahead of the amphibious landing did little to suppress 21,000 Japanese forces spread over the island.

The Battle of Iwo Jima — one of the bloodiest in Marine Corps history — took place 80 years ago. What was supposed to be a weeklong fight started on Feb. 19, 1945, and lasted 36 days.

Any remaining World War II veterans are now in their late 90s and early 100s. At 100 years old, Blane is one of few people who were there and still alive to talk about it.

“Our job was to get the Japanese killed, or get them out of there, and take that island over and hand it to the Air Force,” Blane said. “That was that job we were supposed to do, and we did it.”

Victory came at a steep cost. More than 19,000 U.S. personnel were wounded and 6,821 were killed.

Blane, a rifleman with the 4th Marine Division, was one of those injured during the battle.

“I was shot through the foot,” he said. “I didn’t allow them to try to evacuate me. No, I wouldn’t do that. I just had the corpsman look at it and bandage it and put my boot back on and forged on ahead.”

He didn’t want to leave the squad he considered brothers and feared evacuation would’ve meant never seeing them again.

Joseph Caminiti, 100, was another Marine who fought on Iwo Jima. He was assigned to an amphibious tractor and was responsible for bringing troops and supplies from larger amphibious landing craft to the shore.

As the battle continued, he transported the wounded back to those boats or, if they were severely injured, all the way to medical ships.

He remembers standing on the airfield closest to Mount Suribachi when he witnessed the two historic flag raisings on the fourth day of the battle. (The second flag raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal.)

Caminiti recalled that moment in his personal biography.

“We never thought it was going to be a historical thing,” Caminiti said. “The first time, you couldn’t really see it. They called for a bigger flag. I saw the bigger flag go up. We had a clear look at it. We looked right at it, and I said, ‘It’s about time!’”

Personal anecdotes and memories from veterans like Blane and Caminiti add color and depth to the historical accounts of what happened during the war. But for years, many veterans kept their experiences to themselves.

Blane didn’t speak about his military service for four decades after he came home. His son Phil said those years of silence were part of his father’s way of coping with the trauma of the experience.

“He’s doing great now,” Phil said. “But to have had that hanging over his head for 40 years before he started talking about it must’ve been kind of a heavy burden to bear.”

Blane, who is a member of DAV Chapter 7 in Lakewood, Colorado, remained close with three of the four surviving original members from his squad. He would visit them in Pennsylvania or they’d come to him in Denver, but even then, they didn’t talk about the war.

“We didn’t make it a dyed-in-the-wool or crying type thing. We had fun together, and when we were together, we would bring our wives to the party. So it was a joyful way to meet,” he said. “It was a lifetime connection for the three of us.”

Caminiti also attended unit reunions and rarely discussed the war, finding joy in just being around his fellow Marines and their wives.

“We’d just get together and talk,” he said. “It was nice. I used to look forward to those every year.”

The reunions eventually stopped as the rest of the members of their units died.

What both Blane and Caminiti frequently attend now are public ceremonies and commemorations held in honor of veterans of World War II generally and Iwo Jima specifically. Public interest around these events have provided a forum to share personal experiences.

“Unless you keep going with these events, it’s going to fade out,” Caminiti said. “They don’t teach that in school anymore. Some of them don’t even know what Iwo Jima was.”

Blane feels similarly and has taken up the mantle of keeping the legacy of his squad mates alive.

“Well, so many of my friends are gone, and they’re not around to tell stories,” Blane said.

“And if people want to know that sort of history, I’ve made up my own mind that I’m still here to do it, if it’s necessary.”

For Phil, these events have deepened his appreciation for the freedom we have today and have been a way to get to know his father.

“Just to hear the whole story, it’s changed my perspective on everything,” he said.

He said the public attention being given to World War II veterans has been heartwarming to witness as well.

“They’ve all been through something very traumatic. I kind of felt like a lot of them felt a little underappreciated,” Phil said. “So, while they didn’t feel appreciated at the time, I think they feel very honored and appreciated today because people have been so interested in hearing their stories.”

This story was shared by DAV, an organization working to empower veterans and ensure they lead a high-quality life with respect and dignity. Read more about them here!