Looks like they are having a reunion in Houston Sept 22-26 Sept.
Not too many of the Iwo Jima Veteran are left.
My uncle's Fox Company, 2 Bn, 26 Rgmt may only have about 10 attendees.
The reunion is at the Houston Hobby Airport Marriot Hotel.

Much less members of the 5th marines that survived previous island tropical paradises such as Tulagi, Gavutu Tanambogo and Guadalcanal...

One of my mother's younger uncles
had a neat scar(s)on his arm he brought home from the pacific.... One 6.5Jap round that created four bullet holes.. the nerve and tendon & Bone damage of the wound saved his life, and sent him home. he missed Iwo, where every other member of his squad was killed.

the bullet hole scars were nothing compared to the surgical scars to repair the damage between the first entrance and first exit hole

He claimed that he was more upset by the fact that the impact made him drop his weapon...
Until he discovered that his arm had stopped working. he made a more or less full recovery
(his golf game never did)

Sadly he passed on a few years back.

AD

My Dad, A SeaBee was attached to them on a few occasions. He was oranizing a reunion and died a month before it happened. I have his photo album and typed journal(on rice paper).