Patriotic presentation

Jessamyn Harter grew up with Iwo Jima as a part of her everyday life.

Her grandfather was a proud Marine who had served during the World War II battle. He had a map of the island on his wall.

Still, the importance of her grandfather’s service and that of those who stood alongside him did not come into focus until years later.

“At a young age, I didn’t realize what it truly meant,” said Harter, a New York resident. “He was very humble … He really didn’t want credit for a lot. He was very quiet about it.”

It was while working on a project as a graphic design major at Syracuse University — she lived with her grandparents while attending college — that she discovered the depth of her grandfather’s story.

Harter will share the details of her grandfather Cpl. Marty Connor’s service in World War II and his efforts to encourage healing decades after the war during Museum of the Soldier’s 250th Marine Corps birthday celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“I thought the story was fantastic when I read it,” said Jim Waechter of Museum of the Soldier, 510 E. Arch St., Portland. “She had such compelling stories about Iwo Jima. …

“It was just a fascinating story, and her personality is such that I thought she’d do a great program.”

He added that he felt Harter’s story of her grandfather’s service connects to the Jay County community, as Portland native John Jaqua also served on Iwo Jima.

Connor enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in October 1943 at the age of 17 and was on board USS Deuel as it left Hawaii for Iwo Jima on Jan. 27, 1945. His battalion helped capture the island from the Japanese.

He was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the American Theater Victory Medal.

He was involved in the first unofficial Iwo Jima reunion in February 1970, 25 years after the battle. There, he met Japanese naval captain Tsunezo Wachi, who explained that many of his countrymen had nothing by which to remember their ancestors who lost their lives in the battle.

“To those left behind, even a small object was like having a soul returned home to them,” Harter said.

During World War II, it was common for soldiers to take items — bayonets, swords, prayer coins, flags, journals — from the bodies of their fallen battlefield enemies. 

Connor had such a journal and photographs from his time on the island. When he returned home, he sent the items to Wachi in Japan in hopes they could be reunited with the families of the deceased.

The journal made its way to the fallen Japanese soldier’s widow.

She wept upon receiving it.

    “Pint-Size Patriot” Jessamyn Harter (right) is pictured with her grandfather Cpl. Marty Connor and her daughter Peyton Rose. Through her podcast, Harter interviews World War II veterans and shares their stories. Connor died in 2020. (Photo provided)
  

Over the decades that followed, Connor worked with Wachi and Masataka Shiokawa, the son of a Japanese soldier killed in battle at Okinawa, to gather and return artifacts taken by American soldiers to their rightful owners in Japan. Their story is chronicled in the book “In Blood, Flowers Bloom: A World War II Story of Valor and Forgiveness Across Generations” by Samantha Bresnahan.

A graphic design volunteer with Iwo Jima Association of America, Harter had the opportunity earlier this year to visit the island and climb Mount Suribachi where her grandfather stood for the reunion ceremony 55 years ago.

“Just an incredible experience to even stand on such hallowed ground,” said Harter. “So many lives were lost.”

Bresnahan’s book will be available for purchase during Sunday’s event, which will also feature introductions of all Marines in attendance. There will also be an exhibit of 125 years of U.S. Marine uniforms and equipment.

In addition to her work with the Iwo Jima Association and Honor Flight, Harter hosts the Pint-Size Patriot Podcast in which she interviews World War II veterans. She said she feels it’s important to share the stories of her grandfather, who died in 2020, and all of those who served in World War II.

The National World War II Museum estimates that about 66,000 — less than 0.5% of the about 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II — were still living as of 2024. That includes 873 in Indiana.

“I think a lot of people forget that freedom isn’t free,” said Harter, who will also speak at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the American Legion Post in St. Henry, Ohio. “It’s because of these veterans, these World War II veterans who we owe everything to, because they sacrificed …

“We would not be the country we are without them, and I just think people forget. It isn’t talked about enough, the World War II veterans. We get so stuck in the everyday … that we don’t realize we’re passing by, we’re losing so many World War II veterans.”