75th Anniversary of Battle of Iwo Jima Remembered at Camp Pendleton

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Niala Charles
"It was a mess all the way through. Just survival, having to stumble over dead Marines, trying to walk around. Thousands killed on the beach," said SJ Mayfield on the left, a World War II veteran.
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Niala Charles
An organizer said Saturday's ceremony will likely be the last commemoration held on the base because the veterans, many in their 90s, are finding it harder and harder to make the trip.
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NBC 7
The ceremony included a wreath laying, cake cutting featuring the oldest and youngest Marines present, a bell toll and a living reenactment of the famous flag raising from atop Mount Suribachi.
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NBC 7
The battle is regarded as one of the fiercest of World War II, where U.S. Marines and Sailors conducted an amphibious assault on the island beginning Feb. 19, 1945, against 22,000 Japanese soldiers.
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Niala Charles
Of the 82 Marines who earned the Medal of Honor during all of World War II, 22 of those were earned for actions on Iwo Jima, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.
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