Unfortunately, many of the soldiers' letters were never
delivered to the mainland. On February 19, the US Forces
started to invade the island. After fighting from
underground shelters for a month, almost all of
Kuribayashi's soldiers were killed. About five months later,
World War II ended.
After the war, some letters were returned to Japan from
the US. They had been taken from Iwoto by the American
soldiers. The following is one such letter. Sadly, the family
members of the writer have not been found yet.
Father, Mother, Torao, Kei, Eizo, Tadashi, Otaka,
Sueharu, Tatsumi, Fumiko, and Tatsuko. I would like to
wish you all good health and a long life. Father and
Mother, please take good care of yourselves as you are
getting older.
