Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Snowden USMC
Senior Ranking Survivor from Battle of Iwo Jima on 70th Anniversary
Immortalized in Joe Rosenthal’s photo of five U.S. Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman hoisting the American Flag on Mount Suribachi, the battle for Iwo Jima remains one of the most iconic and bloody fights of World War II. February 19, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the five-week struggle. Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Snowden USMC (Ret.) was a 23-year-old Captain and commander of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. He was among the first waves of Marines going in and today is the most senior ranking survivor.
“The fighting was fierce and there was tremendous carnage on both sides, but it was for a very important strategic need,” said Snowden, 93, who lives in Tallahassee, FL. “Iwo provided the proximity for our new B-29 bombers to reach mainland Japan. It also became crucial for emergency landings of 2,400 of the planes. Of key importance was that it marked the first capture of Japanese homeland and the psychological impact on them was tremendous.”
Iwo Jima was the largest Marine amphibious operation of the war, and the costs of victory were extremely high. With nearly 27,000 Marine and 23,000 Japanese casualties, it was the only battle of the war where the Marines suffered more losses than the Japanese. The struggle was described as “being something out of Dante’s Inferno” in Hyper War: Closing In: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima by Col. Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.).

In 1950 Snowden helped create the Marine Corps Development Center in Quantico, which charted operations and concept development for the future. He served as a Major and Battalion Executive in the Korean War, and in Vietnam he commanded the 7th Marine Regiment. “We did a lot of anti-Viet Cong missions, chasing guys who were farmers in the daytime and Viet Cong at night” Snowden said. “It was pretty horrific; we lost a lot of arms and legs because of their trip wires. Now we call them IEDs.”

Snowden received five Legion of Merit awards over his thirty-seven years of service, two for combat. He was Chief of Staff of U.S. Forces in Japan from the early to mid-1970s. He was promoted to Lieutenant General on 1 September 1975 when he assumed the billet as the Marine Corps Operational Deputy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He received a second Distinguished Service Medal for his service as Chief of Staff and retired in 1979.

Snowden will play a big part in two upcoming events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Iwo Jima. He and other battle veterans, families, friends and dignitaries will gather for the anniversary of the Iwo Jima Association of America’s Reunion and Symposium in Washington D.C. from Feb. 18 – 22. On Feb. 19 there will be a memorial service and a wreath laying ceremony at the WWII Monument and the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington. The reunion will feature a wide range of activities and speakers, including U.S. government officials and the Ambassador of Japan. Snowden will be a moderator for many of the symposiums. The reunion is being managed by Armed Forces Reunions, parent company of BookMyReunion.com, which has managed many reunions for the association and other military organizations Snowden is a member of.

“Armed Forces Reunions does a very good job of organizing and administering the events; they have a lot experience,” Snowden said. “This will be a very important gathering, with media from around the world.”
The annual Reunion of Honor, a gathering of Iwo Jima veterans from the U.S. and their Japanese counterparts, will be held on Iwo Jima and Guam March 16-23. Founded by Snowden in 1995, the event draws hundreds of veterans, families, and officials from both countries. The idea for the reunion came to Snowden while visiting Japan during the Korean War and meeting former Japanese soldiers. It was the start of an attitude transformation for him and ultimately became a platform for a new understanding between the former enemies.

“I changed my mind in Korea about who our enemies were,” he said. Forty years after the battle, Snowden and other veterans of the struggle decided to visit the island. On the 50th anniversary in 1995 he and the group officially established The Reunion of Honor. “We didn’t and don’t go to Iwo Jima to celebrate victory, but for the solemn purpose to pay tribute to and honor those who lost their lives on both sides,” Snowden said. “It is a real alliance between the two countries. What I hope is that everyone understands that enemies can become friends, and that there is no more important bilateral relationship than between the U.S. and Japan.”

Scott McCaskey is a contributing writer for BMR.com, Account Director at Goldman & Associates Public Relations and former staff writer for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

Happy New Year! Reunion chairmen, resolve this year to:
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• Work with hotels that have earned a reunion-friendly reputation through years of dedicated service to military reunions.
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Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” The reunion market is mostly a collection of smaller groups, each working to provide its members a valuable experience. The core principle of AFR’s new division BookMyReunion.com (BMR) is to harness the power of many to the benefit of each. In the coming months we will present hotel deals to be found only through BMR, with tailored incentives offered by BMR Star Hotels. These are hotels that understand and appreciate your business. Armed Forces Reunions’ twenty-seven years of hotel contracting experience will bring your reunion unmatched savings and opportunities.
Over the years we have funneled thousands of reunions into the nation’s top reunion destinations. This past month saw a flurry of bookings in San Antonio: C123’s in S.E.A, ANGLICO Assn., Korean War Recon Marines, Wheelus Air Base Reunion, Pilot Classes of WWII, and the USS Los Angeles CA-135. Bookings have been plentiful in Branson, New Orleans, Dayton, San Diego, D.C., Va. Beach, Norfolk, Nashville, Charleston, and other top destinations. The record for bookings in one city in a single year was D.C. in 2005 with 18 reunions – the year after the WWII Memorial opened. Contracting on such a massive scale allows BMR to provide your group with valuable savings and the protection of our very own BookMyReunion Hotel Contract – the industry’s only contract written for reunions and accepted by major hotel brands nationwide.
Contact us today to discover how AFR can make your New Year’s Resolutions come true!

1-800-562-7226 or ted@afri.com

Every year seems to be huge for AFR in the nation’s capital.  For years we’ve been the acknowledged leader in planning unforgettable reunions and government conferences in D.C.  We have hosted as many as twenty-three reunions in a single year, varying in size from 50 to 2,000 attendees.

A few of the hugely successful events we’ve planned include the 50th anniversary of the Korean War for KWVA, the 65th anniversary for the Iwo Jima Association of America, reunions for The Chosin Few and USMC Combat Helicopter Association, and in 2012 we’ll be planning the 100th anniversary of Marine Corps Aviation – to be headquartered at the Gaylord National Harbor.  This year we’ll be planning reunions for the 1st Marine Division Association and the USS Ticonderoga Veterans Association, among others. Whether visiting 8th & I for the Marine Parade or the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, conducting memorial services at the Navy Memorial or the Wall, whether viewing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown or an evening performance of the political satire “Capitol Steps,” AFR can make it happen for your group.

If you want to visit Washington D.C. and would like the ultimate in personal attention along with the lowest room rates to be found please give us a call.  Get a professional on your side and walk the red carpet with AFR!