War is hell. There's no doubt about it. It's so terrifying that it sends chills down people's spines just thinking about. It is the one thing that can give freedom, yet at the same time suck the life-the soul from someone.
             Picture this: you just landed on a foreign beach with thousands of other invading American soldiers. The sound of bombs exploding all around you is deafening. The enemy's fire has already made it impossible to take a step let alone breathe. There's panic, but it's an organized panic. Your sweating palms are loosening your death grip on your assault rifle. You sense the ice rushing through your veins. Fear. Bullets are whizzing past your head ever which way, and your fellow soldiers are being gunned down as if they were tissue paper. There are screams of extreme pain and agony. The stench of dirt and warm blood makes you feel nauseated. The only thing you are thinking about is getting out of there alive and in one piece.
             This may seem like just another scene you only see in movies, but this is similar to what actually happened at the battle of Iwo Jima. This historic battle was one of the most significant battles during WWII.
             First of all, the island of Iwo Jima was of strategic importance to both Japan and the United States. This 7.5 square mile sulfurous island was vital to Japan because it was considered to be Japanese turf, and it was located only 650 miles from Japan's capital city, Tokyo. In all of Japan's 5,000 year history, no foreign army has every set foot on Japanese soil (Japanese). If the U.S. invaded Iwo Jima, the significance of that would surely turn some heads. "To the Japanese leadership, the capture of Iwo Jima meant the battle for Okinawa, and the invasion of Japan itself, was not far off" (Battle).
             Iwo Jima's importance, to the United States, was none other than its convenient location. Iwo Jima rested halfway ...