Iwo Jima....one of three Marines killed in combat during WWII died at Iwo.
More Marines died taking Iwo than the Japanese lost defending it.
If the same casualty rate was applied to Iraq.....we would have gone through two and one half Marine Corps.
If we broke down "Chickenhawk" into individual accounts....it would take several Blue Star's full of pilots....but supposedly that is the truth of the matter. The author is reputed to have "borrowed" most of the action sequences per those that were there at the same time.
Good yarn not withstanding that.