This newspaper article is part of the Harley Collection at Old Independence Regional Museum and tells about the adventures of William B. “Bill” Jett, pharmacist mate second class, who was serving as a navy corpsman with the Marine Corps and his participation in the battles at Iwo Jima. The article ran in the Batesville Daily Guard, Thursday, April 12, 1945, while Jett was still in Iwo Jima. It tells about the false report of him being listed as dead and includes information listing him as the 4th man reaching toward the pole in the famous flag raising photo.
The article states, “According to a dispatch received here identifying the participants, Jett was listed as an unidentified marine (dead), by the only surviving marine in the group. Pfc. Rene a. Gagnon of Manchester, NH. However, Jet is a Navy corpsman and is not dead. The last letter received from him was dated March 28.”
The article printed the following quotes from Jett’s letter to his mother:
“Did you see a picture of the marines pushing up the flag. Guess who the fourth one is.”
“I guess I’m rather fortunate to still be alive on this island. You seem to think I was on a hospital ship. Doctors and pharmacists serve right on the front lines just like any Marine does. They even fight like Marines. They treat wounded men under fire. Our two doctors were on the lines all through this operation. They are with the battalion and the pharmacists are with the companies, but it’s all dangerous.”
“I hope people take the blood donations seriously. The value of whole blood on Iwo Jima cannot be estimated. You have to see things in order to believe them, I guess. I have plasma on the front lines, another thing which saved a lot of lives.”
