Thanks, Jeff. I will be more than happy to answer your questions and I am glad that you like the book, so far, that is.
In answer to your question about when I started writing, I was injured pretty badly on Iwo and after being on a hospital ship about a month, I went to a hospital in California. When I was there, some of my guys were at the same hospital and that is when I began writing my notes, although my first impressions were gathered on the hospital ship. That is where I met the Marine who took a sword from a Japanese with his bare hands and killed the Japanese with it. His hands were swathed in bandages with blood seeping through but he still had the sword. He came to my bunk and showed it to me. I also started corresponding with other Iwo Marines while at the hospital as we were spread in other hospitals around the nation.
I never saw Letters because at my age I have trouble reading captions. As far as Flags, to be honest, I thought it had too many fictional touches. I had hoped that they would have stuck a little closer to the truth in telling the story as I had anticipated more of a documentary.
Dick Wheeler