List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Battle of Iwo Jima

This is a list of United States military personnel who received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The battle took place in February and March 1945 during World War II. The American invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was charged with capturing the airfields on Iwo Jima.

The battle was marked by some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi) of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 216 taken prisoner.

During the 2-month-long battle, 27 U.S. military personnel were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. Of the 27 medals awarded, 23 were presented to Marines and four were presented to United States Navy sailors; this is a full 30% of the 82 Medals of Honor awarded to Marines in the entirety of World War II.cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/mohstats.htm
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = Medal Of Honor Statistics
publisher Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007]

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government and is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself "…conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States…" Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously. [http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/pis/med_of_honor.html Defense link Medal of Honor history] ]

List of recipients

legend2|#e3d9ff|This along with the *, indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously|border=1px solid #AAAAAA

ee also

*Raising the flag on Iwo Jima
*The Unknown American Soldier from World War II
*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II

Notes

References

*cite web
accessdate=2008-03-10
url=http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who.htm
title=Who's Who list of Marines
work=Who's Who in Marine Corps History
publisher=History Division, United States Marine Corps
*cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/moh.html
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work =
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007
**cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/wwII-a-f.html
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = World War II (A - F)
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007
**cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/wwII-g-l.html
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = World War II (G - L)
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007
**cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/wwII-m-s.html
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = World War II (M - S)
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007
**cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/wwII-t-z.html
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = World War II (T - Z)
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007
**cite web
accessdate=2008-03-06
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/mohstats.htm
title = U.S. Army Center of Military History Medal of Honor Citations Archive
work = Medal Of Honor statistics
publisher= Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007