The war was far from over for the US. My father was in the Second Marine division. They received orders along with wills for everyone to fill out. They were

The war was far from over for the US. My father was in the Second Marine division. They received orders along with wills for everyone to fill out. They were to leave it in their footlocker on top. Expected losses were as much as one million, based on taking previous islands, such as Iwo Jima. Their command told them to not expect to return from this one. After Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian. The Japanese were closer to collapse than we realized, but if the invasion had started, neither side could have prevented major losses, even if both side's leadership would have preferred to. And we were days away. The war had a momentum of its own.