Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue

Based on years of writing about veterans, my endorsement of both the War on Terror’s American Sniper movie and the World War II battle for Iwo Jima should be clear.  Wars happen.  Forces mobilize.  Warriors do what they have to do.  They come home as veterans or casualties.  The cycle repeats.


The American Sniper movie was politicized from its record-breaking first showing forward.  The likes of the battle for Iwo Jima are showing some adverse affectations – whether from age or political correctness is unclear.

February 19, 2015 marks the 70^th anniversary of the battle for Iwo Jima.  Affectations aside, a 75^th anniversary, and a 100^th anniversary will likely be commemorated, but why take the chance? 

Here’s to commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the battle for Iwo Jima!


Here’s to Greensboro’s Andy Symmes, who now lives with a High Point, North Carolina daughter and her family.  Symmes’ 105mm howitzer battery landed on Iwo Jima’s D-Day and fought 36 of the most deadly days in the history of the Marine Corps.  Japanese resistance finally ended on March 26th.

TOM GIBBS (L) WW II CORSAIR CREW CHIEF
SOLOMONS, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, OKINAWA
ANDY SYMMES 105MM HOWITZER BATTERY – IWO JIMA

Here’s to Fairmont, West Virginia’s Hershel “Woody” Williams, who traveled over the country to secure the 2014 Annual Convention of the Marine Corps League for his home state. (Greensboro, North Carolina hosted the 2010 Convention)   Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima.

Here’s to the Iwo Jima Survivors Association of Winston-Salem, North Carolina as they commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima on February 21, 2015, at the Maple Chase Golf and Country Club. 

Here’s to Colonel Sheldon Scales, the last surviving company commander on Iwo Jima.  Colonel Scales, a North Carolina native from Stokes County, passed away in 2014 in a retirement facility in Martinsville, Virginia.

Colonel Sheldon Scales, Iwo Jima Company Commander

Here’s to John Murphy, an Iwo Jima Marine from the same regiment as my cousin, PFC Walter Ray Thetford, who was killed on the 14^th day of combat.  Murphy traveled from New Castle, Delaware to meet my son and me at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C to review Iwo Jima records.

CAPTAIN HARRY THETFORD JR. (THEN LCDR) AND IWO JIMA
PURPLE HEART SURVIVOR JOHN MURPHY AT NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.
WITH BOTH FLAGS THAT FLEW FROM MT. SURIBACHI

 And here’s to PFC Walter Ray Thetford.  He was the only son of a Mississippi farmer who served in World War I.  Of 17 first cousins who served in World War II, Walter Ray is the only one who made the supreme sacrifice.  Three sisters survived him, all of whom married World War II servicemen.

PFC Walter Ray Thetford, died of wounds
during the battle for Iwo Jima

Here’s to the memory of PFC Jacklyn Harold Lucas, a graduate of High Point University.  Lucas earned the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima at the age of 17 years and six days – the youngest Marine in history to win this award.  He planned to present his medal to High Point University on Alumni Day, 2008.  He passed away before that date, but his widow made the presentation.

Here’s to Greensboro’s Delmas Bearden, who now lives with his son and his family in Burlington, North Carolina.  Bearden, a Navy yeoman, was wounded on D-Day at Normandy when his minesweeper struck a mine and sunk.  He recovered in time to serve on a supply ship on D-Day for the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Delmas Bearden

Here’s to the three Marine Corps generals who led the charge at Iwo Jima: Graves B. Erskine, Clifton B. Cates and Keller E. Rockey – for their World War I heroism alone, these three had been awarded four Purple Hearts, three Silver Stars, and three Navy Crosses.  

Here’s to the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and to the Marines who perform sunset parades at the Memorial.  There is no more stirring sight than a company of dress-blued Marines suddenly appearing from behind the Memorial.  Arguably, the world’s tallest bronze statue, the six flag-raisers are 32 feet tall.  The National Park Service does not make mention of a 13^th hand – an urban legend too often forwarded.

Sunset Parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial

Here’s to Marines of the Iraq War, still driven and inspired by Iwo Jima as the gold standard of combat heroism.  General James T. Conway, Marine Corps Commandant at the time, said when a young Marine was asked about the possibility of U.S. troops wresting control of Fallujah from insurgents, he replied, “Of course we can take Fallujah, we took Iwo Jima!”    


Here’s to the Americans of the greatest generation who served on the home front.  According to James Bradley, a best-selling author and son of an Iwo Jima flag raiser, “The three Iwo Jima flag-raisers came back to the states and sold $26 billion in war bonds in two months.  That compares to the U.S. budget for that year of $56 billion.”


Five months after the Iwo Jima flag-raising, the Post Office issued an Iwo Jima stamp.  The cost was three cents each.  People stood in lines for city blocks to buy Iwo Jima stamps on the first day of issue.  For many years, it remained the biggest selling stamp in the history of the U.S. Post Office.

Here’s to Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, whose quote immortalized the battle for Iwo Jima, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

Here’s to the patriots who won’t wait until Memorial Day to memorialize almost 7,000 Marines and Navy Corpsmen who made the supreme sacrifice on Iwo Jima.

God Bless!  Ol’Harry