As the costliest and most momentous D-Day of the Pacific War ended, approximately 25,000 Marines were on shore, but some 2,400 of them were already dead or wounded. At first light on the second day, the men saw the staggering devastation. Crippled tanks and halftracks were bogged down in the coarse sand, amphibious tractors lay flopped on their backs, cargo-unloading cranes tilted at insane angles, and bulldozers were smashed in their own roadways. From a labyrinth of tunnels and caves, Japanese soldiers had exacted a sickening toll as they pinned down American forces under a relentless rain of mortar and artillery fire.

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General Kuribayashi had exhorted his men to dedicate their entire strength to the defense of the island. Since American naval and air superiority meant he expected no reinforcements, the general opted to hold out as long as possible, relying on the sheer defensive strength of his position. Documents found on the bodies of Japanese dead and posted on pillbox walls–apparently disseminated by Kuribayashi –read in part:

We shall grasp bombs, charge the enemy tanks and destroy them.

We shall infiltrate into the midst of the enemy and annihilate them.

With every salvo we will, without fail, kill the enemy.

Each man will make it his duty to kill 10 of the enemy before dying.

Until we are destroyed to the last man, we shall harass the enemy by guerrilla tactics.

Slowly, inexorably, the Marines forced their way forward. On the 20th day of the invasion, Tom Kennedy crouched in a foxhole and scribbled a letter to Milly on scraps of paper given to him by another Marine. Although still shaken, he described a recent "banzai" attack, the name deriving from the Japanese battle cry "Tenno heika banzai"–"Long Live the Emperor."

Some Japs crawled up out of their holes in the early hours of the morning and charged our foxholes. They crawled to within ten feet of one fellow and started yelling, "Hey Corpsman." Our fellow asked him for the password, but he still yelled, "Hey Corpsman." All he wanted was for some fellow to show himself so the Jap could throw a hand grenade in his hole. The kid saw him and killed him. Next morning, upon examining the dead Jap, they found a grenade in his hand.

When they pull one of their banzai charges they gather together in a big group and start yelling. Then some of their officers start waving swords above their heads and shout, "banzai, banzai." While they scream, they charge. Of course our guns cut them down like flies, but it’s sure scary listening to them scream like that.

By March 8, American pressure forced the enemy out of its holes. Hand-to-hand fighting took place up and down the line. Many Japanese soldiers carried land mines strapped to their chests and came at Marines in attempts to blow them up in suicidal charges. Others, seeing that their assaults were failing, killed themselves with grenades. General Kuribayashi radioed a final message to Tokyo: "The battle is approaching its end. Since the enemy’s landing, even the Gods would weep at the bravery of the officers and men under my command . . . . [M]y men died one by one and I regret very much that I have allowed the enemy to occupy a piece of Japanese territory . . . . Unless this island is retaken, I believe Japan can never be safe. I sincerely hope my soul will spearhead a future attack." He then bowed his head and committed ritual suicide by thrusting a sword into his abdomen.

Although Tom Kennedy suffered a shrapnel wound to the shoulder, he survived the U.S. Marine Corps’ bloodiest battle. His letters to Milly resumed immediately once the Marines had secured the island, and Tom reassured her that he was fine. The 4th Marine Division returned to Maui, Hawaii, where the troops were re-equipped and trained for future offensives against the Japanese. Milly and the children had since moved back to Wilkes-Barre to live with her family, and in a letter to Tom dated March 11, 1945, she described the newsreels she and her sister had recently seen in the city.

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