THE 97-year-old American’s memories of comrades blown away on either side of him on Iwo Jima are a world away from his vision of the island after returning to commemorate one of World War II’s fiercest battles.

Hundreds of US Marines landed on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima today to prepare for the 65th anniversary of one of the Second World War’s bloodiest battles.

Clint Eastwood's 2006 war films 'Flags of our fathers' and 'Letters from Iwo Jima' have already become dated after Japanese officials agreed to change the name of the island where the country's soldiers battle Americans during World War II.