Chief Motor Machinist’s Mate Oscar Thomasson was part of the initial assault during the Battle for Iwo Jima when he was a 2nd class petty officer. He survived the battle and went on to raise a family in Kansas, ultimately passing away Dec. 22, 2006 at the age of 80. On August 28, 2012 his grandson, Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson, traveled to the invasion beach at Iwo To, formerly Iwo Jima, to lay his ashes to rest.
Chief Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson displays a case that holds his grandfather’s ashes. Thomasson will soon board a plane departing Naval Air Facility Misawa and travel to Iwo Jima where he will lay the ashes of Chief Motor Machinist’s Mate Oscar Thomasson to rest on Iwo Jima’s Invasion Beach. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson and his grandfather share one last moment together on Iwo Jima’s Invasion Beach. Thomasson laid his grandfather’s ashes to rest on the same beach the young Motor Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oscar Thomasson swam to after his landing craft was destroyed during the U.S. assault on the island during WWII. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
Chief Aviation Electronics Technician (Select) Joshua Ward, left, salutes Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson before ceremoniously presenting him with his grandfather’s ashes. Thomasson’s grandfather was a survivor of the Battle for Iwo Jima and was part of the initial U.S. forces’ invasion. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson is splashed by water as he fulfills his promise to his family and lays his grandfather’s ashes to rest on Iwo Jima’s Invasion Beach. During the Battle for Iwo Jima, Motor Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oscar Thomasson’s landing craft was destroyed while making its way to the island during the U.S. forces’ initial assault. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson lays his grandfather’s ashes to rest on the invasion beach at Iwo To, formerly Iwo Jima. Thomasson was with more than 60 chief petty officers and chief petty officer selectees taking part in a heritage trip that emphasized the historic significance for both U.S. and Japanese service members who fought in the Battle for Iwo Jima during World War II. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Andrew Thomasson, right, hugs Senior Chief Ken Ballard after he laid his grandfather’s ashes to rest at Iwo Jima’s Invasion Beach. More than 60 Navy Misawa chief petty officers and chief petty officer selectees took part in a remembrance ceremony for Thomasson’s grandfather. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford/Released)
