The Battle of Iwo Jima, which commenced 81 years ago Thursday, remains a powerful symbol of Marine Corps bravery and was recognized in the State House. As Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (USN) said of the battle, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.”
Gold Star mother Jeanette Rose, left, and Gold Star father, state Rep. Steven Xiarhos, right, lead the Pledge of Allegiance during Iwo Jima Day in Memorial Hall at the State House, Thursday. The battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)Gold Star father, State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, holds a placard of his son, Nicholas, during Iwo Jima Day in Memorial Hall at the State House, Thursday. USMC Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. The battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)Keynote speaker USMC Major Ryan Hilgendorf speaks during Iwo Jima Day in Memorial Hall at the State House, Thursday. The battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)Tamra Martinez of Navy Band Northeast sings the National Anthem during Iwo Jima Day in Memorial Hall at the State House, Thursday. The battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks during Iwo Jima Day in Memorial Hall at the State House, Thursday. The battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)FILE – In this Feb 23, 1945 file photo, U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise a U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan. Dave Severance, the Marine company commander whose troops planted the flag during World War II, a moment captured in one of the most iconic war photographs in history, has died. He was 102. Severance died Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, at his home in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal, File)
