CANYON — On a cool Saturday morning in Palo Duro Canyon, more than 20 teams of wrestlers, Marines and community members tightened their shoelaces and adjusted flagpoles for a climb meant to echo one of the most iconic moments in American history.
They came for the annual Iwo Jima Honor Run, a rugged hike that draws athletes and veterans alike to honor the Marines who raised the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the bloody 1945 Pacific battle.
The Sept. 20 event was organized by Johnny Cobb, a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach whose career spans decades at Tascosa High School and Wayland Baptist University. Cobb founded the climb to fuse physical challenge with civic reflection — and to keep alive the memory of his father, a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima.
“It’s an opportunity to wave the flag,” Cobb said before the teams set out. “Regardless of religion or political philosophy, everybody comes together to honor this great country. My dad fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, and I want to honor his memory — but overall, I want everyone to appreciate living here.”
Though Cobb remained at the staging area, greeting teams and delivering remarks, his presence anchored the event. He described the run as a “living history lesson” meant to challenge young people to reflect on the sacrifices of those who fought on Iwo Jima.
A trail of grit and flags
The climb begins at the canyon floor and winds upward through red rock walls and loose shale, a test of balance and stamina that mimics, in a small way, the steep volcanic slopes Marines faced in 1945. Teams carry flags instead of rifles, but the spirit of shared effort is unmistakable.
Participants picked their way along narrow ledges with flags billowing in the morning wind. Some hikers scrambled over jagged boulders, shoes sliding on loose gravel, while others paused to steady a flagpole or help a teammate down a drop. Long lines of participants snaked up the canyon’s twisting paths, the Stars and Stripes rising above their heads against a cloudy sky.
Veterans in Marine Corps red T-shirts hiked beside high school athletes in olive event shirts, the generational mix reflecting the bridge between those who served and those still learning the meaning of sacrifice.
A lesson in grit for the next generation
Many of the participants are high school wrestlers whose seasons demand discipline but not necessarily history lessons. Cobb hopes the run provides both.
Nico Villalón, a Palo Duro High School wrestler, said the morning trek built camaraderie as much as muscle.
“It felt amazing — just being out here with my friends, seeing how Canyon looks, and having a good time,” he said. “It was easier than I thought because the sun wasn’t beating down like last year. We kept each other in line and made sure no one fell behind.”
“We were cheering each other on the whole way,” he added. “If somebody slowed down, someone else would yell, ‘You got this!’ It felt like a team win when we reached the top.”
Villalón admitted he arrived knowing little about Iwo Jima. Carrying only a flag while imagining Marines hauling weapons and gear up a hostile mountainside gave him perspective.
“They probably had a lot of weight going up those mountains — it couldn’t have been fun,” he said. “It makes you think about what they went through.”
From Brooklyn to Japan to the Texas Panhandle
For SSG Wilson Ortega, a Marine from Brooklyn, New York, the canyon climb revived memories of the real mountain. While stationed in Japan, Ortega hiked Mount Suribachi itself.
“It’s almost as challenging — just not as hot,” he said with a grin. “I hope the young men and women here have the same courage to give all if the time is called upon them. Our job is to educate them on why we’re out here.”
“When I climbed Suribachi, I thought about the Marines who fought for every inch,” Ortega continued. “Today I thought about them again, and it brought me right back.”
Ortega joined the event for a second consecutive year, drawn by the blend of physical endurance and quiet patriotism. Seeing teenagers shoulder flags and encourage teammates reminded him of the Marine Corps’ own reliance on unit cohesion.
“They don’t know the history yet,” he said, “but it’s our job to teach them. And you can see in their faces when the message starts to sink in.”
A coach’s legacy and a community’s bond
Among the adults pacing the climb was John Johnson, owner of Country Auto Group in Amarillo and a longtime supporter of Cobb’s effort. Johnson first met Cobb decades ago when the coach led his youth wrestling team.
“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” Johnson said. “If you can endure getting through those steps together, you can endure life. Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Johnson said the phrase resonates beyond the trail. “Weakness doesn’t leave by sitting still,” he explained. “It leaves when you push through hard moments — just like the Marines did, and just like these kids are doing today.”
“Coach Cobb taught me that lesson when I was a kid,” he added. “And he’s still teaching it today.”
For Johnson, the climb is more than a workout — it’s a metaphor for life’s uphill battles.
“You have to slow down in life to speed up,” he said. “Stay together as a team, as a family, and finish strong.”
Carrying history forward
Cobb estimated “over 20” teams participated this year, slightly fewer than in previous events. As the flags reached the canyon rim, the coach gathered the hikers to speak about sacrifice, unity and the need to keep American ideals alive for a new generation.
“I told them that the Marines on Iwo Jima stayed together, fought together and sacrificed together,” Cobb said. “That’s how they got to the top. That’s how we get through life, too.”
As the final groups crested the ridge, wind snapped the flags against the canyon sky — a living echo of the photograph taken on Mount Suribachi 80 years ago. For a moment, the Panhandle’s red cliffs stood in for black volcanic rock, and a small West Texas community carried forward a story of courage, sacrifice and shared purpose.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Climb of remembrance: Iwo Jima Honor Run blends history, endurance and community in Canyon
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
