Arvada WWII veteran who fought on Iwo Jima honored as FOX31 Hero of the Month

ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — He was so young when he joined the military that his parents had to sign a permission slip. And at 98 years old, Al Jennings is still young enough to remember his role in World War II like it was yesterday.

“We just (did) the job the best we could and if something happens, it happens,” Jennings told FOX31.

Jennings joined the Marines and fought the Japanese in the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, on the small Pacific island of Iwo Jima. But enlisting with the Marines was not his first choice.

“I was going to go to the Navy so mom would have one in each branch,” he said.

Jennings had two brothers who were already in the military.

“My oldest brother was Army medic and my other brother was in the Marines,” he said.

Jennings’ plan to join the Navy was thwarted by his brother, who taunted him by saying he was too scrawny to be a Marine. That was all it took. He switched branches and enlisted as a teenager.

He was 20 years old when he fought on Iwo Jima. Coincidentally, one of his brothers was fighting in the very same battle.

“So I got permission to go look for him. And I had 30 minutes. And he gave me his .45 (caliber handgun) and he says, take care of yourself,” Jennings said.

Hero of the Month fought in Iwo Jima in WWII

Somehow, both he and his brother got off that island alive. And Jennings managed to witness history, too. He watched as the American flag was famously raised atop Mount Suribachi.

A few years ago, Jennings got to go back to Iwo Jima with a group of World War II veterans as part of a program sponsored by The Greatest Generations Foundation , a charity founded in Denver that returns war heroes to the battlefields where they served. He even gathered up some of that famous black sand from the landing beaches on the island. He still has it in his basement today.

Jennings said for the first few decades after World War II, he and the other veterans he knew never quite got the recognition they earned.

“The only thing we heard was a big parade in New York and one in L.A.,” he said.

Now, Jennings is getting some long-overdue recognition. He’s been named the FOX31 Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month for September 2024. Along with a plaque, he gets a $500 Visa gift card from our sponsors at Ford and the Leo Hill Charitable Trust.

Some people shy away from the title hero, but when you’ve seen what Al Jennings has seen and fought where he’s fought and risked everything for your country, there’s really no better word to describe you.

“I think I qualify,” he joked.

To nominate a veteran or active-duty service member for Hero of the Month honors, visit the nomination page .

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