Story of the Iwo Jima

Sometimes it takes a movie or a book to understand the significance and daunting history behind any memorial, artifact or relic from the past.

I have been to this memorial many times with visitors and as a visitor myself, passed by many times, but never really understood the poignant tale behind till I watched "Letters from Iwo Jima".

Brilliantly crafted piece by Clint Eastwood, moving, somewhat lengthy- but definitely warrants all the Oscar nominations.

We get to watch Ken Watanabe(of the Memoirs of a Geisha, The last Samurai and Batman fame) and the movie has a wonderful message-that of the massive price paid in wars of the many lives of normal people who take up the onus of serving their country. The Iwo Jima invasion was a landmark in Japanese soil, a perfect example of "do or die" orders from the Imperial Govt.

The wiki and imdb say it better, as always.