The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to
ASSAULT TROOPS OF THE FIFTH AMPHIBIOUS CORPS, (REINFORCED)
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following citation:
"For extraordinary heroism in action during the seizure of enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 19-28 1945. Landing against resistance which rapidly increased in fury as the Japanese pounded the beaches with artillery, rocket and mortar fire, the assault troops of the FIFTH Amphibious Corps inched ahead through shifting black volcanic sands, over heavily mined terrain, toward a garrison of jagged cliffs barricaded by an interlocking system of caves, pillboxes, and blockhouses commanding all approaches. Often driven back with terrific losses in firece hand-to-hand combat, the Assault Troops repeatedly hurled back the enemy's counterattacks to regain and hold lost positions, and continued the unrelenting drive to high ground and Motoyama Airfield No. 1, captured by the end of the second day. By their individual acts of heroism and their unfailing teamwork, these gallant officers and men fought against their own battle-fatigue and shock to advance in the face of the enemy's fanatical resistance; they charged each strongpoint, one by one, blasting out the hidden Japanese troops or sealing them in; within four days they had occupied the southern part of Motoyama Airfield No. 2; simultaneously they stormed the steep slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the United States Flag; and they seized the strongly defended hills to silence the guns commanding the beaches and ensure the conquest of Iwo Jima, a vital inner defense of the Japanese Empire."
For the President,
John L. Sullivan
Secretary of the Navy
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(above) A Marine struggles up a ridge on Iwo's
rugged Motoyama Plateau. USMC Photo
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(above) Red Beach 1 on D-Day–the living and the dead
USMC Photo |
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(above) An infantry Marine's view of the Iwo Jima
beachhead on D-Day. The commanding presence of Mount
Suribachi looms in the background. USMC Photo
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