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I thought... What was it like for the Marines at Iwo Jima?
Thoughts at the Iwo Jima Memorial
by HarryT
Famous Landmark Poem contest entry
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Scampered off landing craft willing to sacrifice their lives
To capture a tiny island in the Ogasawara Archipelago
Men who left behind sweethearts, children and wives
They knew with every step they hovered in death's shadow
Who were these men who on this small Pacific island
Charged into hell preserving freedom their only reason
Six brave Marines scaled the side of a volcanic highland
Men who at a moment could enter the eternal season
Planted a flag on Mount Suribachi, a volcano by name
Signifying hope was a spangling Stars and Stripes
The Marines on the beach were not seekers of fortune or fame
Yet they plunged into jungle danger without any gripes
Marched forward in spite of fortified bunkers, hidden artillery
Eight Japanese infantry battalions pledged to fight to their deaths
They battled their way through a fanatical defensive pillory
When it was over 6,800 Marines had taken their last breaths
Those who fought on Iwo preformed heroic deeds
They were gallant men that only freedom breeds
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Author Notes
The rhyme scheme is that of a Shakespearean sonnet.
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©
Copyright 2024.
HarryT
All rights reserved.
HarryT
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