Hey Jack, my buddy moved to Vegas a couple years ago. I called him before Xmas when I heard he wasn't doing well (cancer).
He never made it off the beach at Iwo. Shot in the neck, they had him in the "waiting to die" section when the sgt running the med-evacs off the beach recognized him as a neighbor kid. Made sure they got him out to the hospital ship. Partially paralyzed, but he survived.
He was a fun, old, crusty MF.