Once the flag was raised, it was just a matter of time

As a 19-year-old sailor aboard the destroyer, USS Gregory, DD-802, I literally saw the flag on Iwo Jima about an hour after it was raised on Feb. 23, 1945. Our ship was less than 1,000 yards off the beach from Mount Suribachi and an officer allowed me to view the flag through his binoculars.
At that exciting moment, we were not aware of the famous photograph that would ignite patriotism all over America, but we knew that once the flag was raised the complete capture of the island of Iwo Jima was just a matter of time.
Although not allowed, I kept a personal diary of the action in which our destroyer participated throughout the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After the raising of the flag, our ship made an excursion to the nearby island to Chi Chi Jima to make a daring rescue of three airmen who had been shot down close to shore on this Japanese held island. Our rescue of two pilots and a radioman was almost at the exact location where President George H. W. Bush was shot down and later picked up by a submarine.
I kept my diary by writing the events down in ink each day as time permitted and later typed it for easier reading and copying. I had the foresight to mention on Feb. 23 that the Marines raised the U.S. flag on Iwo. At that time it was more or less a common but important occurrence, and no way near the fame it has become for those six brave men who raised it. However, all of us felt it to be a very important event in that period of the war. Some months later, when I got home on leave, I found out that I was present at and saw one of the great history making events of World War II.
Below are a few entries from my diary. The complete diary can be seen on the internet at www.ussgregory.com, under Shipmates' Memories.
WILLIAM E. BLETSO
Youngstown
February 19, 1945
D-Day for Iwo Jima. Tokyo Rose told us it was going to be on the 18th. Don't know what gave her that idea. HOW hour was 900 when marines landed. Soon established a beachhead. "Tracy DM" on fire and sinking. The Japs have plenty of shore batteries doing considerable damage. Some shells ripped across our fantail scaring us. 12 LCI's went into the beach and one was sunk. Others were shot up bad. No real air raids as yet. We had first raid at sunset and we shot a few shells but planes were out of range. They soon left. Leaving no damage. We have not as yet been real close to island but we can see it clearly a few miles away.
February 20, 1945
Relieved Trojan for shore bombardment. Pulled right up close to shore. Could see Japs with field glasses. At night we shot shells to make light for the marines to fight.
February 21, 1945
Same as yesterday. General Quarters all the time. The number of planes and ships are enormous. At Sunset Japan sent nearly 50 planes to attack us. We knew this was really it. Our fighters intercepted them away out. Lot of them got through to Iwo. We had the honor of shooting down the first plane over Iwo. It was also our first. It was an "Oscar" type torpedo bomber. It was believed to be a suicide bomber. It was coming in full speed about 20 feet high to hit the battleship Washington. It was under a mile away. I happened to be the radioman on the bridge at the time and saw the whole show. We were coming in between the battlewagon and the plane throwing everything but depth charges at it. One 5" shell nipped it and the plane touched the water. Another shell hit it square in the middle and it blew up in the flame and skidded along the water about 1,000 feet from the battleship. We saw the pilot through glasses afterwards dead with his head down in the water. Don't know how he got out of the plane and his parachute was open in the water. Everybody let out a yell when we got him including the Captain.
The Saratoga was under constant attack and it had 8 planes run out of gas and lost planes. But all the pilots were picked up in dark. Saratoga suffered a hit which sent her back to Pearl Harbor. I saw 2 planes of the Japs blow up at night and it lit up the whole sky.
February 22, 1945
Shore bombardment and screening for other ships. Dull day. No raids.
February 23, 1945
Same as yesterday. We had air raid at night but no damage done. Marines raised U.S. flag on Iwo.
February 24, 1945
Shore bombardment and men on beach said we did excellent work by destroying 2 A.A. Craft guns, 2 medium guns, and damaged one. Destroyed 2 trucks and tanks. Could see tank on beach.