A painting of Monument Terrace created by local artist Terry Coffey to commemorate the 300th Friday in a row of Supporting Our Troops was given to honor and recognize each of the ten WWII Marines.

      At 90 and one half years of age Colonel J. Shelton Scales recalls landing on Iwo Jima February 19, 1945 and spending 38 days there as Major-Battalion Commander. He was a member of 3rd Battalion 23 Marine-4th Marine Division. Of the 40 officers in his Battalion only Colonel Scales and two others were not killed or wounded. Colonel Scales likes to quote the 4th stanza of the Marine Corps Hymn: “God on High sees eye to eye with the United States Marines.”

      Born in Bedford County 87 year old Warren J. Tuck enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 4, 1942 and had his first combat experience on Guam Island July 21, 1944. As a member of the 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Regiment, 3rd Batallion, he landed on Iwo Jima only to see Mt. Suribachi in the background. At age 86 Jahue Mundy was a 19 year old sergeant in Demolition 1st Marine Division attached to 5th Marine Division when he spent 3 days on Iwo Jima. Guam, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and Peleliu were the four landings he experienced.

      At age 84 John Fowler was a 21 year old Gunnery Sergeant who served on board the USS Missouri off the coast of Iwo Jima. After 26 years he became a Master Gunnery Sergeant, the highest NCO rank. He was in Korea on Nov. 27, 1950 for the Chosin Reservoir Battle when 300,000 Chinese entered the border. His wife Pat Fowler enlisted in the United States Marine Corps March 18,1945

            William Ondo, James Swan Rigney, and Wesley Clayton Dixon are age 81. Ondo was awarded the Purple Heart when he lost his left eye in 1945 Iwo Jima. Swanson belonged to the platoon whose members raised the flag above Mount Suribachi. Dixon was wounded on D-Day but returned to Iwo later for 28 days. He was a member of the 4th Marine Division, First Battalion, 25th Marines.