The Battle of Okinawa which began with the initial invasion on 1 April 1945 was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. The most complete tally of deaths during the battle is inscribed on the Cornerstone of Peace monument at the Okinawa Prefecture Peace Memorial Museum, which identifies the names of each individual who died at Okinawa in World War II. At the time of the June 1995 unveiling 234,183 names were inscribed. Continued historical research leads to the addition of names. Today, the monument lists more than 242,000 names, including 149,634 Okinawans; 77,823 Imperial Japanese soldiers; 14,010 Americans soldiers, Marines and sailors; and smaller numbers of people from other countries.
What is little known is that more naval personnel (4,907) were killed in action than either Army (4,675) or Marine (2,938) soldiers.
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