100-year-old Marine reunited with tank he drove on Iwo Jima

(U.S. Marine Corps)

Meeting up with an old friend that you made during your time in the military is a unique experience for veterans. The bonds forged in the adversity of combat are some of the strongest possible. This same bond can be found between tankers and the armored beasts that they drove into battle. Incredibly, a 100-year-old World War II Marine veteran was able to reunite with the very Sherman tank that he drove onto the black sands of Iwo Jima.

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On August 15, 2025, Cpl. Leighton Willhite attended a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps’ Museum Support Facility. There, he found “Lucky,” the M4A3 Sherman tank that took him ashore at Iwo Jima.

“It’s amazing,” Willhite said in a Marine Corps publication. “I never thought I would see the tank again. That tank was my life.”

Iwo jima tank — Surviving tanks from Iwo Jima are a rare sight. Intense fighting caused heavy losses. (U.S. Navy)

Over 80 years earlier, a 19-year-old Willhite landed on Iwo Jima with C Company, 5th Tank Battalion. The M4A3 was the newest standard tank for the Marine Corps and made its combat debut at Iwo Jima. Willhite and his crew operated Lucky near Hill 362A, north of Mount Suribachi. There, they supported their fellow Marines, using the tank’s armor and firepower to conduct rescue missions under heavy enemy fire.

During the fighting on Iwo Jima, when another Marine tank got bogged down, Lucky’s crew responded. Tank commander Lt. Leonard Blake moved to rescue the trapped Marines; Willhite volunteered to cover his commander. For this action, Willhite was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for valor while Blake was awarded the Silver Star.

After Iwo Jima, Lucky returned to Hawaii in April 1945. There, the M4A3 was converted into a CB-H5 flamethrower tank for the planned invasion of mainland Japan. Following Japan’s surrender and the war’s end, Lucky was transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where it was stored in the woods. The tank was rediscovered in the early 2000s and joined the Marine Corps Museum’s collection.

iwo jima tank 100-year-old- marine veteran — Lucky will be restored and reverted from a CB-H5 flamethrower variant back to an M4A3 configuration like when it landed on Iwo Jima (U.S. Marine Corps)

It wasn’t until 2023 that Jon Bernstein, the Museum’s Arms & Armor Curator, identified the tank as Lucky, a survivor of Iwo Jima. Today, Lucky is one of just six confirmed Shermans from Iwo Jima still in existence. On loan to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona, Lucky was brought back to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Willhite’s reunion with Lucky also marked the 80th anniversaries of the Battle of Iwo Jima and Japan’s surrender. It also served as an early 250th birthday to the Marine Corps they both served.

“Having Cpl. Willhite here, standing beside this tank again after 80 years, is very special,” said Museum Director Kirk Gentry in a Marine Corps publication. “It is a powerful reminder of the courage and sacrifice that defined the Marines who fought on Iwo Jima.”

The Marine Corps Museum plans to restore Lucky to its Iwo Jima M4A3 configuration as a tribute to the Marines who fought beside it on the volcanic island during the war. While the number of surviving World War II veterans like Willhite dwindles each year, Lucky will remain as a steel storyteller that future generations will be able to see.