Iwo Jima in No Way Compares to Iraq

Re “Rethinking the Iwo Jima Myth,” Commentary, March 10: I was one of those whose life was saved by those heroic Marines who took Iwo Jima. We made an emergency landing there after our aircraft had been shot up over Japan. Later we landed there to take on fuel to enable us to bomb targets in northern Japan. Finally, when hostilities ceased, we landed there for fuel on our way to Honshu, where we dropped food, clothing and medicine to Allied prisoners.

The decision to take Iwo Jima was made in the midst of a global conflict, as part of the grand strategy to win in the Pacific, and had to be made with the intelligence available at the time. Unfortunately, it was inadequate, but the island had to be taken -- and was. To compare this with a president deliberately misleading the public with manufactured or skewed “intelligence” and taking this nation to war to satisfy his agenda is ludicrous.

Sadly, before the Iraq conflict is resolved, the American casualties there may well exceed those on Iwo Jima. Max Boot may a senior fellow, but his column was decidedly sophomoric.

Armand Carbonara

Irvine

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I must congratulate Boot on twisting the supposedly unnecessary loss of 6,000 lives on Iwo Jima into support for the war in Iraq. I’m surprised he hasn’t been offered a spot on the Bush team or at least been paid by the administration for his good work as a journalist. Medal of Freedom, anyone?

Branden Frankel

Newport Beach