WWII Veteran Reunites with His Iwo Jima Tank
Cpl. Leighton Willhite, a 100-year-old Marine veteran, was recently reunited with "Lucky," the M4A3 Sherman tank he drove during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The emotional reunion took place on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps' support facility in Dumfries, Virginia.
For two years, Jonathan Bernstein, a curator at the museum, had been working to identify the tank, which was recovered in 2001. His historical and archaeological research successfully traced the tank's service on Iwo Jima and connected it to Willhite.
Willhite, who attended the event with his son, grandson, and great-grandson, expressed his gratitude, saying he never thought he would see the tank again. "That tank was my life," he remarked, jokingly adding that if the tank was in working order, he'd "fire it up again."
