Perspective

Iraq and Iwo Jima have a lot in common. One is a metropolitan country in the heart of the Middle East. The other is small volcanic island located due south of Tokyo. One is Muslim. The other is part of Japan’s Shinto/Buddhist complex. One has vast oil wealth. The other has some fisheries and military bases. One holds a strategic position in the heart of one of the world’s most volatile regions, which is also the incubator of a new global war. The other is, well, still just a small island in the middle of almost nowhere.

The battle for Iwo was one of the toughest in the entire Pacific Campaign. 70,000 Marines invaded, 6,821 of whom never came home. An additional 19,217 were wounded, and 2,648 suffered combat fatigue. All in just five weeks of fighting.

The battle for Iraq continues, but the results aren’t nearly so bad. To date, about 1,400 killed and 10,000 wounded in just less than two years of fighting.

But Iraq and Iwo Jima still have a lot in common