My father, Allen Louis Ball, served on the USS Newberry APA-158 as a Class 3 Fire Control Officer from date of commission, October 6, 1944 until the end of the war in 1945. His ship was involved in transporting troops and supplies to various locations, one of which was Iwo Jima during "Operation Detachment". One of the most famous images in history is the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima taken by Joe Rosenthal.
The US sent more Marines to Iwo Jima than to any other battle, 110,000 Marines in 880 ships. The convoy of 880 US ships sailed from Hawaii to Iwo in 40 days. During this invasion effort, several of my dad's shipmates lost their lives while landing marines on the island.
Today, I would like to remember them and the service they provided in the effort to preserve freedom in the world.
My dad never spoke to me about his service while in the Navy, and I had no idea that he participated in such an important battle. The entire time he was in Iwo Jima, he and his crew were in danger of being attacked by Japanese forces. One of his shipmates, Jack Runninger, kept a diary. I found excerpts that were published on the Internet, which portray what he and my dad experienced during their time on the USS Newberry (click a page to view it larger).
