Iwo Jima anniversary honored in New Britain
Flag-raising commemorated at memorial to WWII battle
Veterans and community members gathered on Sunday at the Iwo Jima Memorial on the New Britain-Newington town line to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the flag-raising on the Japanese island, and to honor both past and present military service.
In the Battle of Iwo Jima, the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy landed on the island and plunged into a bloody fight to wrest the stretch of land from Japanese control. The battle, among the most brutal of World War II, took 6,800 American lives over a five-week span. On the Japanese side, more than 18,000 died.
In the midst of the fighting, photographer Joe Rosenthal took one of the most iconic American war photos, which depicts six Marines raising the U.S. flag on top of Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.
The Iwo Jima Memorial on the New BritainNewington
town line was unveiled 25 years ago, on the anniversary of the flag-raising. The memorial includes a sculpture that remakes Rosenthal’s famous photograph, which is similar to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
But the New Britain memorial is unique. The money for its construction was raised by veterans, and much of the park construction around the memorial was done by the veterans as well.
One Iwo Jima veteran — Frank Zuraski — literally gave his life to the New Britain memorial. He died in 1994 while clearing brush at the site, his nephew William Yanchak said. He never saw the memorial complete.
At Sunday’s ceremony, organizer Gary Roy said he thought of the event as a rededication of the memorial that local veterans such as Zuraski had
poured their hearts into.
“This is really kind of a special monument,” Roy said. “It's the only one built by survivors, anywhere.”
The ceremony was also a chance for veterans and family members to honor the 100 men from Connecticut who died in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Rene Gagnon Jr. — whose father, Rene Gagnon, was originally identified as one of the Marines in Rosenthal's photo, although the U.S. Marine Corps later corrected the record to identify another man — said on Sunday that Marines such as his father fought in the name of freedom.
“History could've turned itself around in that battle, but we stood on the right side for everyone,” Gagnon said.
Rear Admiral Gregory N. Todd, chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps, said those who fought at Iwo Jima were “some of the bravest Americans of all time.”
“They gave their lives to defend the freedom of our nation,” Todd said. “And your community has skin in that game, blood in that fight.”
Todd said the legacy of the Iwo Jima veterans — the strong sense of “honor, courage and commitment” — is being carried on by those serving today.
“In celebrating the valor of these Marines and sailors and Coast Guardsmen on Iwo Jima, one may wonder, ‘What about today? Do we still have such Marines and sailors?'” Todd said. “As their chaplain, I can say, ‘Yes, we do.' ”