THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 15, 2024 Page 3 Malden residents were there when Iwo Jima became first Japanese territory captured in World War II Who knew the brutal, bloody battle would rage 32 days after iconic flag-raising? Editor’s Note: The following is Part One of what will be a two-part series on the Battle of Iwo Jima. Part Two will appear in next week's Malden Advocate. about 5 square miles. Like many other Marines that U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. John Jarvis in the Pacific Front during World War II. The late Sgt. Jarvis was the father of Kevin Jarvis, Malden Veterans’ Services Officer. (Courtesy/Malden Veterans Services/Kevin Jarvis) By Kevin Jarvis O n Feb. 19, 70 years ago, Feb. 19, 1945, at 0900 hours, thousands of U.S. Marines stormed ashore on the island of Iwo Jima, the first Japanese territory to be conquered during World War II. On that fateful day, two Malden residents, both U.S. Marines – Staff Sergeant Joseph J. Topor, a platoon Sergeant with A Company, First Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, and Lieutenant Edward W. Mulcahy, a platoon leader with B Company, First Battalion, Twenty-first Marines, 3rd Marine Division – would lead their men onto the beach in the first waves of Marines to attack Iwo Jima. My father, Quartermaster Sergeant John F. Jarvis with the Second Separate Engineer Battalion, Fifth Amphibious Corps, would land on the invasion beach on D+1 (the day after D-Day) as the Battalion Quartermaster for his Engineer Battalion. These Malden men, Joe Topor from Milton Street, Ed Mulcahy from Chester Street and John Jarvis from Cross Street, were some of the first U.S. Marines to set foot on Japanese soil in World War II as part of the initial invasion force to capture Iwo Jima. The battle for Iwo Jima lasted This is possibly the most reproduced photo of all time – raising the American Flag at Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Three days after this photo was taken, three of the American Marines of the six in this photo were killed in action and two others wounded. One Marine escaped death or battle injury. (Courtesy Photo/AP/Ed Rosenthal Photo) 36 days: from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. It was some of the fiercest fighting of the war and considered to be the bloodiest battle in the Pacific. The American invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was charged with capturing the airfields on Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was located halfway between mainland Japan and Guam, which was part of the Mariana Islands, which had just been recaptured from the Japanese a few months earlier. Iwo Jima is a small island about 8 square miles in size. In comparison, Malden is day, Topor, Mulcahy and Jarvis were already combat veterans. These men had already fought in some of the famous battles of World War II, in places like Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and at Guam, Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands, before landing on Iwo Jima. Within days, 72,000 U.S. Marines, Navy Seabees, Corpsmen and some U.S. Army personnel would land on the heavily fortified island of Iwo Jima as the spearhead of a veteran amphibious force at its greatest strength. Iwo Jima was the largest Marine amphibious operation during World War II. It was also the costliest. The landing force sustained more than 26,000 casualties (including 2,600 battle fatigue casMALDEN | SEE PAGE 16 He’s Back...and Better Than Ever! John A. Fitzpatrick (Fitzy) Sales & Lease Consultant Direct: 617.410.1030 Main: 617.381.9000 Cell: 617.279.9962 jfitzpatrick@mcgovernauto.com McGovern Automotive Group 100 Broadway, Rte. 99, Everett
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