Crew Journal

 Fathers, Pick Up Your Pens: Iwo’s Legacy of Discipleship - June 7, 2005

In the span of God’s grand work across the generations, from time to time, the Lord ordains an event that can only be described as epic. He appoints a moment on the landscape of His Divine Providence that serves as a microcosm of the human condition; that contains lessons that transcend the event itself; that powerfully communicates truths from which the discerning man can learn much.

Today is the Day to Remember - June 7, 2005
They came here to defend their homeland. In February and March of 1945, over seventy thousand of the bravest soldiers in the world landed on the beaches of Iwo Jima for the defining battle of the Pacific during World War II, one of the bloodiest battles in history. They weren’t here because they liked war. They were here because it was their duty. There were fighting for their wives and children.

Semper Fi: Returning to Iwo Jima - June 1, 2005
Sixty years ago, a young tobacco farmer from North Carolina found himself on an eight square mile island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He wasn’t there on vacation. In fact, the particular island this young man visited was far from paradise.

My Grandfather: A Granddaughter Gives Thanks - June 1, 2005
On March 12, 2005, I stood on the black sands of Iwo Jima with my Grandfather. Sixty years ago my Grandfather was a twenty-year-old young man flying over this island on his bombing raids against the Japanese. Now, I am a twenty-year-old young lady, coming back with him!

Working Together: How Teamwork Helped Win the Battle of Iwo Jima - June 1, 2005
One of the things I have learned was critical for why the Americans took the Island of Iwo Jima was that the soldiers worked together as a team.

A Soldier’s Lesson on Strength, Heroism, and Manhood - June 1, 2005
On March 12, 2005, Colonel Bill Hendersen, flanked by his son and grandsons, sat before the entrance of a concrete and steel reinforced bunker, overlooking Green Beach. Inside the bunker, an ancient and rusted 20-millimeter machine gun remained bolted securely to the floor.

True Heroes: Iwo’s Legacy of Valor - June 1, 2005
Our recent trip to Iwo Jima was one of the most incredible trips I have ever been on in my life. When I first viewed Iwo Jima from high above the island on the plane, it seemed so very small (it is only 2 miles wide at its widest point and 4 miles long) for being the site of one of the bloodiest campaigns in the Pacific during World War II.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime: On Iwo with My Father - June 1, 2005
From the moment that I heard about this trip to Iwo Jima, I knew that it would be a monumental event. Remembering the significance of this defining battle sixty years later by traveling to the sites with those who were there would be an experience never to be repeated, and I was blessed with the opportunity to accompany my father on this journey.