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Seventy years ago, brave Marines stormed the beaches of a small Pacific island known as Iwo Jima. The battle raged from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Despite facing horrific conditions, the Marines prevailed and secured the island. One Marine recalls his experience with a heavy heart. William James Bryan sits comfortably in the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Museum, but in his mind he is taken back to the beaches of Iwo Jima. - Seventy years ago, brave Marines stormed the beaches of a small Pacific island known as Iwo Jima. The battle raged from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945. Despite facing horrific conditions, the Marines prevailed and secured the island. One Marine recalls his experience with a heavy heart. William James Bryan sits comfortably in the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Museum, but in his mind he is taken back to the beaches of Iwo Jima.