Yesterday we did a sail by Iwo Jima Island. There are no permanent inhabitants of this island. There are naval and air force installations here. As we were sailing around the island, we had commentary by one of our lecturers. He told us of the heavy shelling and bombing by the US Navy and Air Force followed by the US Marines storming the island to defeat the Japanese during WWII. This was called the bloodiest Pacific battle of WWII. On February 20, 1945 six marines raised a flag on Mt. Suribachi. This is where the famous photo was taken that later was cast into a bronze statue. This event has become the symbol of the US marines who gave their lives in defending their country. We had a ceremony also today for the fallen military as we reached Suribachi mountain peak.
While sailing around the island, we also saw some large whales which were spouting water. This was quite a sight. Also by happenstance, we saw 5 Japanese air fighter planes doing a flyover while we were looking at the island.
We again have been experiencing very rough seas, but we are doing pretty well as we sail towards Kagoshima, Japan.
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