From Feb. 19, 1945 (when U.S. Marines assaulted its beaches) to March 27 of that year (the day combat officially ceased), the island of Iwo Jima was hell on earth.

In 2009 I began writing occasional columns commemorating the 70th anniversary of key WWII battles and events. I dedicated them to the WWII generation. Twenty-year-old Marine vets of February 1945 are now 90, if they are still among us.