Eighty-one years ago, roughly 70,000 U.S. Marines landed on a volcanic island roughly 750 miles south of Tokyo. What they thought would take five days lasted 36, producing some of the fiercest combat in American military history and more Medals of Honor than any single battle before or since. The Battle of Iwo Jima began Feb. 19, 1945, when the first waves of Marines hit the beaches at 9 a.m. under Operation Detachment. Their mission was to capture the island's three airfields, eliminate a