Iwo Jima vets' stories to be recorded at SEMO on Saturday

A group of Iwo Jima veterans will gather at Southeast Missouri State University this weekend to tell their stories.

On Saturday six Marines will be part of a panel discussion and have their experiences recorded on video in the Rose Theatre. They were all part of the L Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Division.

"We all like to tell our story," Walter Wright said. "All of us saw the flag just as it went up on Iwo Jima."

Wright, of Cape Girardeau, and his wife, Wanda, are responsible for bringing the veterans to Cape Girardeau this year. The group has been meeting since 1972, but Wright began attending in 1994. Last year, they discussed ending the meetings due to age, but Wright said he would host it this year.

"I hate to see it fold," Wright said. "I hope to continue, but I will just leave it up to a vote."

Wright enlisted in the Marines in 1942 and served until he was discharged in October 1945 after being injured in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He and his wife moved to Cape Girardeau in 1955.

Dr. Jim Dufek, a professor of mass media at Southeast, coordinated the video shoot. He is friends with the Wrights and proposed the idea to them.

Dufek said he has students coming in from St. Louis and Illinois to help with the recording.

"We are thrilled that they are willing to share their stories with us," Dufek said.

Dufek hopes to edit the recordings down and turn them into a human interest piece for River Tales, a news magazine series produced by television and film students and faculty in the Department of Mass Media at Southeast.

"It is important to let people know what they went through," Dufek said.

Dr. Frank Nickell, a professor of history and director of the Center of Regional History at Southeast, will conduct the discussion Saturday. He said he felt privileged when Dufek asked him to participate.

"They are very special people who have experienced one of the most dramatic moments in American history and we are honored to have them in town," Nickell said.

The Battle of Iwo Jima began on Feb. 19, 1945, and lasted into March 1945.

According to Nickell, the Marines suffered 600 deaths on the first day. During the battle, 6,000 Marines were killed and 19,000 were wounded over 36 days.

"It was one of the most intense and casualty-ridden battles in American history," Nickell said. "These men are the final survivors of the battle."

ajones@semissourian.com

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