Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades

An unforgettable journey back to the iconic site of one of the fiercest battles of World War II, “Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades” is the powerful and moving story of the American and Japanese servicemen who came together 70 years later for a historic reunion in March 2015. This island battlefield is the only former combat zone in the world that sees men who once were enemies return as friends in a ceremony of peace and remembrance. Hosted by "Flags of Our Fathers" actor Ryan Phillippe, “Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades” premieres on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 as part of Veterans Day programming on KPBS.

1 of 9

Japanese veteran Tsuruji Akikusa (left), with Dan King (right), author of “A Tomb Called Iwo Jima,” holding a Japanese flag that had been brought back to the U.S. as a souvenir during WWll. Mr. Akikusa was astonshingly able to locate the family of the man to whom it belonged.

Courtesy of Mark W. Stevens

2 of 9

Tsuruji Akikusa, a radioman in the Imperial Japanese Navy, is one of fewer than a thousand Japanese defenders of Iwo Jima to survive the battle.

Courtesy of Mark W. Stevens

3 of 9

The Reunion of Honor was founded by Lt. General Lawrence Snowden, USMC (Ret.) – so that veterans from both sides could return to Iwo Jima - this time in peace. Despite being wounded twice during brutal combat, Snowden has sought friendship with his former enemies since the war’s end.

Courtesy of DVIDS - U.S. Marine Corps photo by MCIPAC Combat Camera Cpl. Sara A. Medina/Released

4 of 9

Army Air Corps P-51 fighter pilot, Jerry Yellin, absolutely hated the Japanese – blaming them for killing 16 close friends during the war, for attacking Pearl Harbor, and for the years he wanted to kill himself after the war. But then, his youngest son married the daughter of a former kamikaze pilot and Yellin has three half-Japanese grandchildren whom he cherishes. His is a story of war and transformation.

Courtesy of DVIDS - U.S. Marine Corps photo by MCIPAC Combat Camera Cpl. Sara A. Medina/Released

5 of 9

On the island of Iwo Jima, Japanese and American veterans come together to participate in a unique joint ceremony of peace and remembrance. The Japanese mourning ritual includes an offering of purifying water at the Reunion of Honor Memorial.

Courtesy of DVIDS - U.S. Marine Corps photo by MCIPAC Combat Camera Cpl. Sara A. Medina/Released

6 of 9

A powerful handshake of friendship on the island of Iwo Jima on March 21, 2015. Japanese and American survivors of the fierce 1945 battle returned to the island for a Reunion of Honor on the only battlefield where former enemies come together in friendship.

Courtesy of DVIDS - U.S. Marine Corps photo by MCIPAC Combat Camera Cpl. Sara A. Medina/Released

7 of 9

Ryan Phillippe is host of "Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades." Both of Phillippe's grandfathers fought in WWII and his father served in Vietnam. He previously starred as John “Doc” Bradley in Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of our Fathers.” His character was one of the young men who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima – memorialized in the famous photo.

Courtesy of Arnold Shapiro Productions

8 of 9

The black sand landing beach on Iwo Jima (meaning "sulfur island") with Mt. Suribachi rising up in the background. In "Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades," American and Japanese veterans, former enemies, set foot together on the black sands of Iwo Jima for a Reunion of Honor.

Courtesy of Mark W. Stevens

9 of 9

Marines raised the American flag of victory atop Mt. Suribachi on February 23, 1945 – only five days into the 36 day battle of Iwo Jima. This is the most reproduced photograph of WWII and perhaps of all time.

Courtesy of Associated Press

Two film crews were used to capture the historic reunion for “Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades.” An American unit followed three U.S. veterans—Lt. General Larry Snowden, USMC (Ret.), US Marine Hershel “Woody” Williams and Army Air Corps fighter pilot Jerry Yellin—while a Japanese crew filmed Tsuriji Akikusa, the only Japanese survivor able to make the arduous trip to Iwo Jima.

Through their firsthand accounts, the film takes viewers back to 1945 when these men first encountered each other as four of the 90,000 combatants on an eight square mile island, a dot in the Pacific Ocean just 650 miles from Tokyo. Twenty-eight thousand soldiers died either defending or taking Iwo Jima. Seventy years later, men who lost so much make the emotional pilgrimage back to face the defining moment of their lives.

“This film is an odyssey from the hell and hatred that was the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, to the forgiveness, friendship, and healing which happened this year on the very island that saw perhaps the fiercest fighting of WWII,” said Executive Producer Arnold Shapiro. “The 70th anniversary commemoration ceremony on Iwo Jima embodied the phrase, ‘once enemies, now friends,’ and we watched as men’s lives were transformed before our eyes. It was an honor to work with an outstanding team of American and Japanese filmmakers to preserve the story of these men and their inspiring journey.”

“PBS is honored to present this inspiring documentary about reconciliation and healing,” said Bill Gardner, Vice President for Programming and Development at PBS. “The veterans who share their personal experiences are remarkably candid about the events of the war, and their journey from hatred to reconciliation is powerful and encouraging.”

Host Ryan Phillippe portrayed John “Doc” Bradley, one of the young men in the famous photograph who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima, in Clint Eastwood’s "Flags of Our Fathers." Both of Phillippe’s grandfathers fought in World War II and his father served in Vietnam.

“Iwo Jima: From Combat To Comrades” will be available on DVD in December 2015 from PBS Distribution.