1945 Was Not a Leap Year

There was no February 29th on Iwo Jima in 1945. However, it was around this point in the battle that air mail - letters parachuted down to the island - arrived for the Fourth Division. The post office shown in the picture below started service on the tenth day of battle. Or as the US Navy put it, "Hell’s Island Gets Letters From Heaven." But Hudson didn't receive his mail until later.