HARLINGEN — Bill Houston was 20 when he landed on the perfect battlefield – an “excellent” beach.
Because of that, the thrust inland was supposed to be “easy.”
But, it turned into the bloodiest war in U.S. Marine history.
Houston was part of the fifth wave Marine division who fought to take the island of Iwo Jima that pitted 60,000 Marines against 20,000 Japanese in a warrior against warrior battle that continued for a month.
It was clear early on that 7.5 mile island of rock, dirt and ash the battle was not going to be easy to win.
“We were on the island and a Japanese guy was running up at us,” Houston said. “He jumped into a shell hole and we threw a grenade at him.”
But it was pitched back out and it blew off a man’s legs.
Houston said he can still hear that man screaming to this day.
He said it’s things like that he’s trying to forget.
“It didn’t kill him,” Houston said. “I don’t know why.”
Houston was a bulldozer operator. He said he was able to see the iconic flag-raising that was the signal of taking the beach and was to become the inspiration for a national monument.
“I looked though a scope of 32 millimeter and watched them raise that flag,” Houston said.
The importance of the war was to take the island for its airstrips so American bomber pilots could land to refuel or for repairs after their attacks on Japan.
“I was told 6,000 Marines died,” Houston said. “That was a lot of men.”
In the first two weeks of fighting, 2,000 Marines died.
Nowadays Houston, 95, spends his time with family and friends.
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