@americanveteranscenter: On this day in 1945, the smoke finally clears on Iwo Jima. After five weeks of some of the most intense combat in Pacific history, the island was declared secure. The U.S. suffered nearly 26,000 total casualties, including 6,821 killed in action. Iwo Jima was the only major battle in the Pacific where total American casualties exceeded those of the Japanese. WWII Iwo Jima Veteran Don Graves was a flamethrower operator with the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine. Out of the 335 Marines in his company who landed on the beach, Don was one of only 18 who walked off the island alive and uninjured. Don is still alive today at the age of 102. #iwojima #japan #wwii #worldwar2 #veteran