Clear Lake vet was part of battle history

by Marianne Morf

A Clear Lake man who played an important part in military history is raising awareness of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima this week.

Larry Cronin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 19.  Now at age 91, he recalls the events of his service as if it was yesterday.  As a member of Unit C128, Marines 5th Division, he landed with the first wave of soldiers on Iwo Jima in March 1945.  The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island from the Japanese Empire during World War II.   Cronin explained the island was needed for its airfields.  B-29’s were running out of fuel and crashing into the ocean, unable to make the long flight to Japanese main islands.  He considers their ability to claim Iwo Jima and rebuild air strips saved many U.S. airmen lives.

“The good Lord was with me,” said Larry, referring to his march upon Iwo Jima.  “They were using their big guns, hidden in Mount Suribachi, to cut us down.”  Larry was standing beside his Colonel when a single shot struck the commander in the head and killed him.  The assault kept Larry, a radio man and corpsman  pinned to the front line for three days and nights.  “I didn’t stop praying as we laid there for three nights with no food and no water.  Larry said his fellow soldiers cared for the injury he sustained when shot in the back.  

Historians say Iwo Jima was also the only battle by the U.S. Marine Corps in which the American casualties exceeded the Japanese, although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times as many American deaths.

The Imperial Japanese Army  had created a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and underground tunnels within Mount Suribachi. 

“There was a full size hospital in that volcano. They were ready for the Americans.  The only way we got them out was with flame throwers,” said Larry.  Ironically, Larry received care for his battle wounds in the hidden hospital.  When he refused to be sent to a hospital in Saipan, he was sent back to the front line.

“That was OK.  We had to finish the job,” he said.

Larry remembers standing proudly at the base of Mount Siribachi as the American flag was raised on top.  The photograph of the  flag raising by five U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy battlefield Hospital Corpsman has become an indelible icon of that battle and war in the Pacific.

As one of a dwindling number of those taking part in the Battle of Iwo Jima, Larry was invited to participate in a parade in Harlingen, Texas.  He was unable to make the trip, but received a special banner denoting the Feb. 19 anniversary of the battle.  He intends to share the banner with the Clear Lake V.F.W. and community.  

Larry is also an active member in the Marine Military League in Mason City, which is 110 members strong.  He is proud of his Marine background and accomplishments and fondly remembers his start in military service.

“I had been a trumpet player, so I became a bugler for the unit.  His musical talents even got him cast in a Paramount movie titled “Salute to the Marines,” in which he was a bass