Today is Irei No Hi, or Okinawan Memorial Day, a prefectural holiday to remember the lives lost during the Battle of Okinawa. Learn more about today's holiday by watching this video or visit mccsokinawa.com/culturalawareness. | MCCS Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945, when U.S. forces launched the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Codenamed Operation Iceberg, the invasion started with an intense naval bombardment followed by the landing of more than 180,000 troops from the U.S. Tenth Army on the western shores of Okinawa. Surprisingly, they encountered little initial resistance, as Japanese forces had strategically withdrawn to fortified positions in the island's southern hills, pr