Wednesday marked the 25th and final time Marine Corps veterans, Gold Star families and state lawmakers will gather in the State House to mark the anniversary of the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II that resulted in around 26,000 casualties.
The series of State House remembrance services ended on the 80th anniversary of the day the U.S. Marine Corps invaded the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, starting a 36-day battle that left around 7,000 dead.
With just one Iwo Jima veteran present at the ceremony, family members and veterans took center stage to read letters and tell stories that brought their parents’ and comrades’ experiences to life for the generations still living. The stories will carry on, they said, even if the event at the State House doesn’t persist.
John MacGillivray and Warren Griffin of the Marine Corps League emceed the nearly two-hour ceremony, which included the presentation of a citation to 100-year-old Leo Carroll.
Carroll fought in World War II but not on Iwo Jima, and was honored in the absence of any Iwo Jima veterans. The organizers didn’t think there were any present, a first for the 25-year-old tradition.
That changed halfway through the event when someone told MacGillivray about Marine Corps veteran Joe Cappuccio, 99, who was sitting in the middle of the crowd. Marines learn how to camouflage themselves, MacGillivray joked, as he called out Cappuccio from the lectern.
Cappuccio walked up to the front of Memorial Hall and encouraged the veterans who came after him to lead an active lifestyle.
“If you want to [reach] the age I’m at, you gotta keep moving,” he said. “Do what you have to do. And keep moving, that’s what I do. I’ve traveled the world over, and I loved it. After I got out of the service, my wife and I did 42 countries — and on our own, not with the government. Well, I wish you guys could all do what I do in my life. And believe me — enjoy it.”
While there weren’t any other veterans of the battle at the capitol, their families told of their experiences in the Pacific. MBTA Board member Thomas McGee read a letter written by his father, Iwo Jima veteran and former House Speaker Thomas McGee. The elder McGee had spoken at the very first Iwo Jima Day in Massachusetts 25 years ago, so the organizers said it was fitting to hear from his son at the final iteration.
“He was my inspiration growing up,” said McGee, also a former legislator. “Didn’t talk about this much, but I know how proud he was to be a Marine and he lived his life always — once a Marine, always a Marine.”
Offering a peek into what a 20-year-old Marine experienced in that battle, Howard Bernstein read a letter-turned-poem written by his father, Sam Bernstein, to his parents.
“I was hoping before he passed away that he could come to terms with what happened on that island. He never did,” Bernstein told the crowd. He added, “As long as I’m alive, people will never forget what happened on Iwo Jima, and I will not allow them.”
Secretary of State William Galvin addressed the crowd about the United States’ role in securing freedom through the years. Galvin said the country was in a “very important time in political discourse” to have a discussion about American freedom and sacrifice.
“Whether this ceremony continues here or somewhere,” Galvin said, “The commitment of Americans to freedom and the willingness of Americans to shed their blood… Is something we can be proud of and something we will never forget.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 State House News Service.