USS Pickens on the way to Iwo Jima

On this date 66 years ago the USS Pickens  was in a convoy steaming towward the little island of Iwo Jima.  We had spent weeks practicing putting  our boats into the sea and having the Marines, fully battle loaded, debark and head for a small Hawaiian island.  There they would engage in exercises.  Now, it was time for action for real. Iwo is a small volcanic island and was armed with about 20,000 troops.  We had listened to Tokyo Rose announce the date the invasion would be launched.  She was wrong twice but was correct the third time.  Both Japan and the United States considered the island vital.  It had an airfield with fighter planes, and a powerful radar.  This enabled the Japanese to know when our bombers  were headed to Japan and  they would attack our damaged planes on the way back.  Although not many men would be engaged, both  sides  knew the island would be heavily defended. I will never  forget the invasion date -- February 19.