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Caption:
Iwo Jima, Japan (May 17, 2003) -- In this aerial view, Sailors aboard
the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) conduct a Foreign Object
damage (FOD) walkdown in preparation for flight operations as Mount
Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima sits in the background.
During World War II, this island was the site of a significant naval
amphibious assault, where on February 19, 1945, over 30,000 U.S.
Marines and Sailors went ashore facing heavily fortified Japanese
forces. U.S. casualties included over 8,700 combat deaths and
over 19,000 wounded. 22,000 Japanese perished during the heated
battle. The Carl Vinson Srike Force departed Bremerton in
mid-January. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class
Inez Lawson. (RELEASED)
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