On the Back Cover
Before the flag could be raised, before the invasion could be staged . . . there was the Iwo Jima recon. On February 17, 1945--two days before the invasion--four U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams of about a hundred men each and twenty-two Marine observers scouted the waters around Iwo Jima and went ashore to determine if the soil would support vehicles. The swimmers wore nothing more than their trunks, swim fins, goggles, and knives, along with some camouflage paint and a coat of grease to protect against the 59 degree water. Supported by battleships Tennessee" and Nevada," a cruiser, several destroyers and aircraft, and twelve Landing Craft Infantry gunboats, they approached the shore as the Japanese opened fire. Nine of the thin-skinned gunboats suffered heavy damage, one sank, and the rest survived with moderate damage. Forty-three seamen were killed and almost two hundred wounded, 40 percent of the men engaged. Of the twelve gunboat captains, nine received the Navy Cross and one the Medal of Honor. Using eyewitness accounts, after-action reports, and over one hundred photographs, Iwo Jima Recon" brings to life this little-known story of courage above and beyond the call of duty.
