Lions of Iwo Jima

Lion Iwo

Haynes, F. & Warren, J. (2008). The Lions of Iwo Jima. New York: Henry Holt & Co.

Some of the most prominent battles and battle sites fought and fought over by this nation's military have been discussed and described so frequently and in such great detail that it seems as though there is nothing more to be said about them. Elements of strategy, victories celebrated and lessons learned, and examples of heroism have all been recounted, and that might seem to be the end of it -- especially from the perspective of a military historian. When the perspective is that of military historian is Major General Fred Haynes, however, a man on the ground and intimately involved with the operations that took the island if Iwo Jima in World War II, there is always more to uncover, more to understand, and more to remember. Haynes' book The Lions of Iwo Jima, co-authored with civilian military historian James A. Warren, shows that this is undoubtedly the case with the fight for the small island directly due south from the big islands of Japan in which a great number of men lost their lives so that others' and even the war itself might be won. The authors do not simply tell a heroic tale here, or glorify what was a gritty and bitter struggle, but they rightfully honor the men who fought here through a careful and detailed inspection of the actions taken and the men that took them.

Combat Team 28 suffered a casualty rate of seventy percent after landing on Iwo Jima, but their sacrifices gave United States forces an oasis in a vast sea largely surrounded by the enemy, providing emergency landings for planes, a position to regroup naval forces, and more. It is not just what the men at Iwo Jima achieved, however, but how they achieved it -- the spirit and the determination shown by the men of Combat Team 28 -- that Haynes and Warren focus on. What they try to tell is the personal side of the story, without foregoing the extreme importance of actual military encounters and certain elements of strategy. That is, Lions of Iwo Jima tells the stories of the men who made the military conquests that have made the island and its name famous even among the civilian population, but it tells the story of these men as soldiers, and as they were concerned with and involved in their objectives, successes, and frustrations in this capacity. In order to accomplish this, the two authors used a variety of primary documents directly from the battle itself and from other relevant sources, many of which had never been truly examined or included in previous scholarship on the battle. More importantly in this reviewer's mind, the authors conducted interviews with more than a hundred survivors of the battle, enabling truly gripping and personal accounts of what it meant to be a member of the Marine's Combat Team 28 during the days of fighting for Iwo Jima. From this combination of sources, the authors are able to provide the reader with a gripping and detailed account of how the battles on Iwo Jima were won, and what it meant to all involved.

The amount of research these authors conducted is truly staggering, but it is truly through the personal experience of Major General Haynes and of the many men interviewed that the narrative and the import of this book truly come to life. Much has been said about Iwo Jima, and the elements of strategy and heroism that helped to win the island are well-known in military circles. What Lions of Iwo Jima accomplishes, however, is a true understanding of the spirit and the dedication it took to carry out the strategy and to lead to the many acts of heroic sacrifice and risk that led to the completion of the military objectives and the succor to other members of the United States forces that followed. It is in the making personal of what is in many ways a highly technical and now a long-removed event in the United States' history that Haynes and Warren truly succeed, and this would not be possible if not for the extreme insight into all areas of the book, from the actual on-the-ground events of Iwo Jima to the larger strategic goals of the operations to even the larger command and integral spirit of the United States Marines, that Major General Haynes is able to provide. His long career in the armed services, including his time on Iwo Jima, make him uniquely qualified to describe and comment on this chapter of history, and his voice and knowledge are evident in every line that appears on the page. Descriptions of fighting, acknowledgements of emotional distress, and a general sense of the order and even the prestige of the United States Marine Corp makes this history come alive, and definitely imparts a new respect and a new knowledge of one of the most revered and well-known battles and military units in the whole of United States' military history.