Waterloo WWII vet, Iwo Jima survivor speaks in Dubuque - KWWL.com

A Waterloo World War II veteran is speaking about his experience in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

David Greene, 88, served in the Marines and spoke Tuesday afternoon and evening at Loras College in Dubuque.

In March, he and nine other survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima went back to the island for a commemoration ceremony between the Japanese and Americans.

At Tuesday's talks, he shared his impressions about the battle 67 years ago that killed more than 6,500 Americans and approximately 20,000 Japanese.

"I want to keep talking. My wife doesn't agree with that," Greene, who has given more than two dozen such talks since returning in March, said chuckling, "but I said as long as I can talk I will talk. Somebody has to try to realize the importance of what happened way back when."

The Japanese government limits visits to Iwo Jima. Greene said the island had changed little since the war. Now, the location has just an emergency landing field for Japan and acts as a commemoration of the battle fought there.