Cleveland family visits Iwo Jima

CLEVELAND - Ann Farah recently returned from the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Her father, Tom Livingston was a Marine in the invasion of the island 65 years ago.

Farah grew up in Cleveland with many Iwo Jima reminders. Her father brought home pictures, a battle map of Iwo Jima and some sand from the beach.

 Currently a Japanese base, Iwo Jima tours have been allowed once a year for the last 15 years for just a single day. Many on this year's tour feared it would be the last. The number of World War II veterans is dwindling and the logistics involved for the governments of both countries make that a strong possibility.

Nearly 20 veterans of World War II, many revisiting the island for the first time since the war, joined around 400 tourists and dignitaries from the United States and Japan.

The battle of Iwo Jima is where AP photographer Joe Rosenthal took the famous photograph of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raised a flag atop Mt. Suribachi.

The battle lasted more than six weeks with severe casualties on both sides. Nearly 7,000 U.S. service men were killed.