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Jack Thurman

WWII | 2nd Raider Battalion

Jack Thurman grew up on a farm in South Dakota, but when the attacks on Pearl Harbor occurred, he knew he had to serve. His family didn’t want him to go as he was needed on the farm, and by the time he was on the train his parents ran to see him off. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (7:14)
Carlson’s Raiders were a special unit led by LT COL Evans Carlson that was designed to use small teams to combat Japanese forces across the Pacific. Jack Thurman recalls the rigorous amphibious training he received as well as being in the presence of the current and future Presidents of the United States. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (5:51)
From Hawaii, Jack Thurman wasn’t sure what his ultimate destination would be. Maybe it would be Peleliu, maybe Okinawa. He was surprised to learn he would be landing on the small island of Iwo Jima, and he describes the journey across the Pacific as Navy ships carried him and the rest of Carlson’s Raiders there. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (7:27)
Getting onto the beaches of Iwo Jima would be no easy feat. Jack Thurman describes everything he saw from the guns of the USS Tennessee clearing space for the landing to the B-29s being shot down overhead as they made their way to the southernmost airfield on the island. Part 1 of 4 (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (14:23)
Once Jack Thurman made it onto the island, he’d need to push forward through an onslaught of Japanese artillery. He describes making it to his unit and the loss of Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone on the first day of the Iwo Jima invasion. Part 2 of 4 (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (5:29)
One of the most memorable relationships Jack Thurman made in the Marine Corps was with Ira Hayes, a Pima Native American from Arizona. They had met before the battle, and when the bullets started flying they found themselves shoulder to shoulder. Part 3 of 4 (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (10:48)
On February 23rd, 1945, Marines raised the first flag on Mt. Suribachi which stood over the battle for hours. But, of all of the images to come out of World War II, few are as immediately recognizable as the second raising of the U.S. Flag over Iwo Jima. Jack Thurman was just feet away from this significant moment, and he recalls his friend Ira Hayes helping put the flag in place. Part 4 of 4 (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (7:58)
Jack Thurman was lucky to be trained with the men he served with in Iwo Jima. He recalls one man in particular from Stillwater, MN who he had shared some laughs with, but tragically was lost in the battle while they were hunting Japanese snipers. He describes the multiple burials he received as the land changed hands in the years after the war. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (6:00)
From training in San Diego to the sands of Iwo Jima, Jack Thurman describes the leaders that led him there and the bravery they showed on the battlefield. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (4:11)
Outside of Motoyama Airfield 1, the Marines were pinned down by Japanese fire. As the casualties mounted on both sides, nature took its course and Jack Thurman recalls the horrific image of the flies moving between bodies. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (2:36)