IOTO, Japan (AP) — Iwo Jima is a training site like no other. The rugged volcanic crag was one of the most iconic battlegrounds of World War II, and is so isolated and barren it has almost never been inhabited by anyone other than military troops. But from the perspective of U.S. Navy fighter pilots who regularly train on the island’s one functioning airstrip, it is unique in another way.
If a plane finds itself in serious trouble and for some reason that lone airstrip on the island isn’t viable, the only alternative is to eject and ditch in the Pacific. It’s a problem that the U.S. Navy, which is now conducting training on the island to prepare pilots for deployment to the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, has been trying to fix for nearly 25 years. Continue reading “Amid safety fears, US Navy jets train on Iwo Jima”

Mail.com
Mail.com
NY Daily News – by DAVID KNOWLES
Liberty Crier – by binaryloop
RT News
My San Antonio – by Michelle Mondo