AT THE MOVIES (MAY 29, 2023)

In this special edition of At The Movies, I am showcasing the film “Sands of Iwo Jima“, a 1949 WWII movie starring John Wayne as Marine Sgt. John Stryker.

Despised by his own men for his rough attitude and exhausting training regimen, Marine Sgt. Stryker is a hard-nosed soldier who will accept nothing but excellence from those in his command. As the war in the Pacific progresses, though, the young marines begin to respect Stryker’s hard-edged outlook on war and his brutal training methods, as it has helped them prepare for the harsh realities of the battlefield. They’ll need all of Stryker’s battle tactics if they want to survive what will end up being one of the bloodiest engagements of the war: the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Among the widely recognized tunes featured in the movie is the beloved “Marines’ Hymn” composed by Jacques Offenbach in…