Marine Corps Veterans Honored During Ceremony Aboard Battleship New Jersey On Anniversary Of Battle Of Iwo Jima
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Two heroes who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima were honored Saturday during a special 75th-anniversary ceremony. Aboard the Battleship New Jersey along a calm Delaware River, it was a wave of emotions and memories for two Marine Corps veterans as dozens gathered to honor them.
On the anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, some memories were too hard to bear.
"I've pushed it out of my mind," John Welsh said.
It was 75 years ago that 99-year-old Welsh and 97-year-old Frank Beach, the father of New Jersey State Sen. James Beach, landed on the Japanese island.
"They take you there and dump you off and just hide," Beach said.
The battle was a critical point during World War II.
"We were taking the war to the Japanese. That we had pushed them back from all of the territory that they had conquered during the first couple years of the war," battleship curator Ryan Szimanski said.
Beach and Welsh, who received his second purple heart after Iwo Jima, eventually helped capture the island.
"The raising of the flag was beautiful," Welsh said.
A symbol of victory caught in a photo as a group of Marines raised the American flag above the island.
"Stood up and hollered. You didn't care if you got your backside shot up or not," Welsh said.
"We thought it was over, that was just the beginning," Beach said.
Years later, these men and those who didn't make it home are celebrated.
"I hope that they have a sense of pride for what they've done," Szimanski said.
