The day on Iwo Jima did not quite go the way that Gregg had hoped, but still was a very good day for him. I’ll just start by saying I absolutely made the right decision to stay behind, There were a few of us who stayed behind (including historian Jon Parshall) due to illness. I’ve moved from coughing to nose dripping, so hopefully I’m almost over it.
But Gregg left early for the 2 hour flight to Iwo Jima. His plan was to do the 10 mile round trip hike up to the top of Mount Surabachi. But the day turned out to be much hotter and humid than is usual for Iwo Jima and the promised water stations where you could refill your water bottles weren’t there. And until the hikers passed the point where the Honors Ceremony was held, they all had to keep on their coats and ties. So after the 2.5 mile hike to the landing beaches, Gregg was able to take off his coat and tie, but there was still no water to be found. Considering there was still the 2.5 mile hike up to the top of the mountain and the 5 mile hike back to the plane, Gregg did the sensible thing and decided to go no further.
As it turned out, many people should have done the same thing. There were several medical emergencies for heat exhaustion and dehydration. Gregg said there was a woman laid out in the airplane hanger getting medical attention, and they had to rescue many people from the trails with golf carts. There is no shade and with the sun beating down and no water, it really was a dangerous situation for some. One of the men from our bus was brought back to the hanger in an ambulance with his shirt off and an IV, while they were trying to bring down his temperature. It really is lucky that no one was seriously ill.
But rather than focus on not making the climb, Gregg was able to focus on making it to the landing beaches, where the soldiers and Marines came ashore. He collected some of the sand from the beach. Although it’s not actually sand. It’s volcanic ash and is actually VERY heavy. He took a small container and collected enough for himself, his cousin Jamie and a Marine who works at REI that helped him choose his hiking poles. He was so thrilled to hear about the trip and asked for some so Gregg was happy to get it.
His regret was that he had told Mr. Court’s grandson that he would take pictures for him from the top, but as it turns out, they were actually able to take the vets to the top of the mountain in golf carts. So Zac promised Gregg to send HIM some pictures. Zac and Mr. Court were both thrilled to be taken the top. That was not expected.
My day was spent on our lovely balcony, reading and coughing and sniffling. But it was still nice.
More to come…
~Dawn
