This is for Rip.
Iwo Jima just for a little context, during the latter half of the Pacific War, we had started using the bases on Guam and Tinian for our B29s to bomb Japan. but they had no fighter cover and the Japanese were using Iwo Jima as a staging point for raids on our bases, so it was decided we must take Iwo Jima.
So here goes the math
The Marines suffered 26000 casualties taking the island.
Since Iwo Jima is between Guam and Japan it also had the benefit of being emergency landing Airfield, and before the war was over 2,250 emergency Landings were made on Iwo Jima. Now with an 11-man crew for the B-29 multiplied by the 2,250 emergency Landings comes to 24,750 saved Airmen because of Iwo Jima. And compare that to the the 26,000 casualties taking the island of which about 6400 died you can see that in this sense the cost of taking a heavily fortified Island did indeed pay for itself.
I thought it was interesting bit of history.