This book could not have been written without the splendid help and advice of the Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Harvey H. “Barney” Barnum, USMC (Ret.); the kindness and courtesy of Colonel Warren Wiedhahn, USMC (Ret.), of Military Historical Tours; and Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC (Ret.). I was led to its subject by Sergeant Major Mike Mervosh, USMC (Ret.), and some of his Iwo Jima comrades, all of whom were gracious, accommodating, and helpful. In addition to donating their time and their invaluable memories to this book, many of the men gave me permission to reproduce pictures from their personal collections and allowed me to photograph them. I am grateful for their generosity. I also wish to thank Gerry Byrne of Parade, John Butler, Keiko Hirano, Masahide Mizoguchi, Rosa Ogawa, Lee Kravitz, and Lou Leventhal, for helping me with facts, and Jonathan Au, for rescuing vital copy that seemed irretrievably lost in the computer.