Dan King and Ssgt Quay Terry (USMCR) met with Marine Colonel Dave Severance at his home in San Diego for an interview on his experiences as a E/2/28 (Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Division) on Iwo Jima. Severance was in the 10th wave that went ashore on Feb 19, 1945 and spent an incredible 36 days on the island without being wounded. He recalled the famous flag raising, as well as his relationship with Joe Rosenthal and flag raisers Sgt. Mike Strank, PFC Rene Gagnon and Doc Jim Bradley whom Severance wrote up for a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in treating and protecting the wounded (it was downgraded to a Navy Cross). You can learn more about the battle for Iwo Jima in the upcoming Clint Eastwood movie "Flags of our Fathers" on which King did some work as a Japanese historical consultant, and Ssgt. Terry worked as the Assistant Military Advisor.

My Dad, Marvin King, is one of the 19 former Korean War POWs that attended the 4 day reunion event in San Diego. All but 2 of these men were reservists from WWII who were recalled when the Korean war broke out. Most were Air Force pilots or crewmen. My Dad was in the 307^th Bomb Wing 371^st Squadron, when his B-29 was shot down by Russian-piloted MIG-15's in a daylight mission April 12, 1951, to bomb the railway bridge over the Yalu river at Sinuiju. Seen in this photo are (L-R) Marvin King, and Dan Oldewage. They are the only 2 surviving POWs who were shot down together on the same plane and are still here. They survived the infamous "Caves," as described in the book Broken Soldiers by Raymon Lech, where in 6 weeks 65 out of 76 POWs died of starvation and disease at the hands of the North Koreans. The two men were repatriated together in "Operation Big Switch" September 1953.
Side note: My Dad named me after Dan Oldewage.

Group photo of ex-POWs from Camp 2.

POWs and wives gathered at the house of Mike Howe to sing songs and skits from their days as POWs. Very "Norman Rockwell" indeed.

There was a ceremony to remember the 1,500+ men that died in Camp2, along with a reading of the names of those who have died since repatriation. The group snapped to attention at the presentation of the colors at the chapel at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. There was not a dry eye when the group sang the "Battle Hymm of the Republic." These old veterans from WWII and Korea are what America is made of.