Help me Honor my USMC Grandfather at Iwo Jima

Hi! My name is Jessamyn (for those of you that don’t know me personally!) 

I currently volunteer for Honor Flight Syracuse as a graphic designer, in addition to volunteering as the graphic designer for Iwo Jima Association of America (IJAA). Through IJAA, I have been given the opportunity to go on the anniversary trip at the end of March to Guam and Iwo Jima. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I normally would never ask for help, but as a single mom, the cost is a lot to come up with.

It has been my lifelong dream to visit Iwo Jima and stand where my Grandfather fought and survived for 36 days.

My incredible grandfather (the man in my photos) is my reason for loving the Marines, WWII history, Iwo Jima and my freedom. He fought on Iwo Jima for the full 36 days; he was 1st Battalion - 26th Regiment - 5th Marine Division; he landed on Red Beach 2, fought to the end of airstrip #1 southern tip up the west side. He is such an inspiration to me and one of the most amazing men I had the privilege of knowing & loving...to this day, one of the strongest men I’ve known & an incredible Marine. He is my hero.

Anything raised beyond the cost of the flight/trip will be divided and donated to Honor Flight Syracuse and Iwo Jima Association of America in honor of our Veterans and my grandfather.

Honor Flight Syracuse - my Grandfather went on his last mission with them when he was 92 (two years before he passed away)

IJAA - My grandfather was a member of IJAA and I am a legacy member of IJAA.

Trying to eloquently put into words all that my Grandfather meant to me feels almost impossible, as he has always been such an important part of my life.

If there was anything my Grandfather ever taught me by example, it was forgiveness, kindness, love and compassion.

My grandfather enlisted in the United States Marine Corps when he was just 17 and fought all 36 days on Iwo Jima.

Surviving that devastating battle was a miracle.

He saw the flag raised, he lost friends and USMC brothers..

He experienced firsthand the brutality of war and hate..

My grandfather taught me by example to forgive; over the years, he worked to help return countless artifacts to Japanese families. These "souvenirs" (photos, flags, artifacts, etc.) were taken from the deceased bodies of the Japanese at Iwo and other battlefields. My grandfather’s belief was that sending them back to Japan was a gesture of healing and release, both for grieving families and for graying Marines.

In 1970, My grandfather met a Buddhist monk at one of the anniversary trips he attended at Iwo Jima. They'd both traveled there for the 25th anniversary of the battle. The monk explained how Japanese families treasure any artifact of those who died on the island, artifacts that become part of the way those families pray for the lost. My grandfather thought about what the monk was asking. Like thousands of other Americans, he'd taken home battlefield "souvenirs," items he'd found in the possession of enemy dead. He sent the monk what he had: a Japanese diary, a pay book, some black and white photographs.

For the next 45 years, my grandfather quietly served as an intermediary. He returned photos, flags, and similar artifacts that American Marines and Soldiers had taken from Japanese bodies, at Iwo and other battlefields.

“The Americans who fought on Iwo Jima in the end had greater numbers of men, material and technology superiority than the Japanese, but I believe that it was the raw courage, esprit de corps, and fighting spirit of the United States Marines that in the end won the day there.

Admiral Charles W. Nimitz once said, “Among the Americans who served on Iwo island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

I believe from my own experience there that what he said was absolutely true.” - USMC Sgt. Marty Connor 1926-2020