Escort mission to a place called Iwo Jima

A long time ago I was in the Navy and a member of Composite Squadron VC82 which consisted of 12 fighters and 12 Avengers aboard the CVE 57 USS Coral Sea. Its name was changed to Anzio in order to give the more prominent name to a new big super carrier being built.
Our specialty was anti-submarine warfare and we set the Pacific record with four confirmed and two probable sinkings. Submarines ran under water with electric motors but had to run on the surface with diesel engines to charge their batteries. They felt reasonably secure doing this at night and we were the only night carrier squadron in the Pacific at the time and with a new technology called "radar" we were highly effective. In the daytime we were expected to do all the things other squadrons did.
One of our missions was to escort a convoy from the Marshall Island area to a place called Iwo Jima. There were 17 transports in the convoy along with their escorting warships. We flew our patrols and for variety would make occasional low level runs over the ships. The decks were crowded with Marines who were packed on the ships and took turns "topside" to sightsee and get fresh air. They waved and we rocked our wings in return. Seeing their faces gave us a strong sense of responsibility for their safety. We left the convoy in the area near Saipan and went ahead to help soften Iwo Jima and prevent anything from coming in or out. Our briefings said this invasion should require three or four days. A month later we were still there.
On D-Day we watched the Marines climb down into the landing craft and head to the beach. We raced up and down ahead of them strafing, firing rockets and dropping bombs hoping to suppress any enemy fire. We weren't as effective as we wished and watched the Marines slosh off the landing craft and struggle through the miserable black sand as they tried to reach hard ground through murderous gunfire and explosions. Seeing their faces as they looked up is a sight I will never forget. Hundreds died or were wounded, but they pressed on. You can only feel respect when you think of a Marine.
At night we flew our patrols and in the daytime circled the island ready to race down to assist in any way we could. They would ask us to strafe or fire rockets dangerously close to them.
Daytime on Iwo was a nightmare of bullets, tracers and explosions. Nights were even worse. Tracers, explosions, flames and flares. It was a strange feeling to sit at a table eating a decent meal, taking a shower, sleeping in a clean bed while a short distance away men were squirming in dirt trying to stay alive, never knowing when they would be hit.
Each flight we helped the Marines go higher up the mountain. Then a shout reverberated through the ship. "There's a flag on Suribachi!" We hurried to the flightdeck and shared binoculars to see the sight.
One afternoon we took off to fly the 6 to midnight patrol and as we headed north we heard that a flight of "bogies" was incoming. We spotted a flight of planes headed in our direction. We had a job to do and turned away, headed back. They caught up to us and we found ourselves literally flying formation with a group of Japanese planes. This was the first big suicide attack, kamikaze, of the war.
The fleet put up a curtain of anti-aircraft fire. Pieces flew off the plane closest to us. It started its dive then tumbled like a wounded bird. The other planes dove. Some exploded in balls of fire. Some broke up and fell. Others made it and crashed into the American ships. Several hit the carrier, Saratoga. The carrier Bismarck Sea right beside the Anzio was hit and burning, leaving a trail of smoke and people in the water.
How we flew through the thickest of fire and survived is a miracle. The only American plane to fly in a Japanese kamikaze attack!
EDWARD BRIENZ
Farmdale