The ceremony today honored all of the more than 100,000 American GIs who battled on an island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Four of those men were there today, one is my friend, and Manchester-by-the-Sea resident, Larry Kirby. There were 230 Marines in his unit when he landed but after 36 days there were only seven who remained..
Although he said "I just showed up, did my job, and got lucky," what he and others did there was monumentally important and thoroughly courageous. He will celebrate his 96th birthday in June but I think it is up to all of us to keep the legacy of Iwo Jima veterans and all of our veterans in our hearts everyday.
