John Lauriello, a 92-year-old World War II veteran living on the border of Haddonfield and Haddon Heights, was given the chance to go back to where he did battle in Iwo Jima 70 years ago, along with his son Paul and his grandson. It was through the generosity of family, friends and strangers that he and his family were able to go on the trip.
To give back, a presentation called “Back to Iwo Jima — 70th Anniversary” will be presented by the Lauriellos at Haddonfield Middle School at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14. The presentation features their experiences in revisiting the island of Iwo Jima, where more than 7,000 Marines and nearly 20,000 Japanese lost their lives.
“It was amazing. Based on the people who donated, we put this PowerPoint presentation at Haddonfield Middle School to show them what their donations enabled us to do and as a way to thank them and give back to them,” Paul said.
The battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the U.S. armed forces captured the island from the Japanese during World War II. Their goal was to capture the entire island, including the three Japanese-controlled airfields, to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands, and it was used as emergency landing strips for USAAF B-29s. This five-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the war in the Pacific.
John was a 21-year-old corporal when he was a Marine in the first wave going ashore Iwo Jima with the Navaho “Code Talkers.” He was on the island for 37 days — as he was a part of the first wave on and the last group off — making him one of the longest-lasting Marines on the island during the campaign.
For its 70th anniversary, the Iwo Jima Association of America invited John on a return trip to Iwo Jima. The association paid for him in full, but could not pay for anyone to go along with him. As he could not go by himself, and his family couldn’t afford to pay for another, they wrote an article to the Courier-Post asking for donations. Joe Ade, a friend and fellow veteran, collected the money, which led to amazing results, gaining them $20,000 of donations.
“The response was overwhelming. In two weeks, we had $20,000 from everyone from all walks of life, $5 from little old ladies and $1,000 from close friends. We felt blessed we were given the opportunity to send three generations to Iwo Jima,” Paul said.
The rest of the donations were given to the Iwo Jima Association of America as well as to sponsor a Navaho Indian, who also went to Iwo Jima, and his granddaughter.
The Lauriellos took the 10,000-mile trip from Philadelphia and experienced many things while there. They went to Guam, which was their home base, to the battlefields and to Mount Suribachi, where the famous “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” photo was taken.
“It was moving while I was there 70 years ago, and those feelings came flooding back in anticipation of going back and of memories. On the flight, thinking about what happened then and where you’re going now, it causes you to be overwhelmed,” John said.
“It was amazing for my father to go back, and to have all three generations was the icing on the cake. He wanted to go back for closure, to see how it looks today, see it without shots being fired. It was nice for him to close that chapter. It was an awesome experience, a once-in-a-lifetime journey, only made possible by those donations,” Paul said.
John said one of the highlights of the trip was speaking to a lone Japanese survivor. He was a 95-year-old man and had an interpreter. They spoke for only five minutes, but he felt it was nice to meet and shake hands with him.
From their trip, the presentation was put together with photographs and information about what they experienced while there. Also at the event, there will be a table of Marine and Iwo Jima memorabilia along with sand and flags that were flown on Mount Suribachi, which the Lauriellos plan to give to some of the donators.
John hopes those who come to the presentation realize the importance of the battle, how hard it was and how it saved many lives.
“I just want to impress upon them the importance of taking that island, to help the overall war effort and realize how tough it was; it was no cake walk. My grandson ran over some of the things I had to do during the war. He tried it and said, ‘Man, that is really tough.’ I hope they take some of that feeling away with them; it was quite a project and quite a victory,” John said.
The presentation will be held in the middle school auditorium, off the Chestnut Street side entrance. There is plenty of parking in the rear of school. The event is free, and all ages are invited.
“I would like anyone to attend. It would be quite enlightening and we would be glad for anyone who wants to come,” John said.
