Sands Of Iwo Jima

Unlike John Wayne's many WWII films in which he single-handedly destroys whole Japanese battalions, SANDS OF IWO JIMA presents him as a believable, vulnerable human being. Sgt. John M. Stryker (Wayne), a battle-toughened Marine, prepares a group of recruits for combat, driving them hard without worrying about making friends, although he is hurt when Pfc. Peter Conway (John Agar) hopes aloud that his newborn son won't be anything like Stryker. Later, in combat on Tarawa, Stryker's men grow furious with him when he refuses to rescue a Marine who has been separated from the squad, because to do so would give away their position. After Tarawa, they go to Hawaii for som...