As someone who is often faced with trying to find answers to black history questions related to World War II soldiers and exactly what they did, it is interesting to note that there is limited scholarship on the issue when it comes to specific battles although there is scholarship on blacks, generally, during the war.

The short answer is yes, they did. The longer answer is that in Okinawa, there were about 2,000 black Marines, in support roles. In terms of Iwo Jima, there were about 900 black troops, in support roles. A few did, however, become involved in the fighting as it intensified.

The issue of blacks at Iwo Jima in particular came to light at the intersection of history and popular culture when Clint Eastwood’s “Flag of our Fathers” was released some years ago.

The Guardian did a piece at the time that has an okay journalist recapitulation of some history of black soldiers at Iwo Jima.

The National Park Service offers additional information and photographs.

If you are purely seeking photos of black soldiers, NARA has compiled some.

Though older, Janet Sims-Wood has compiled one of the better bibliographies on black soldiers during World War II, which you might find interesting in your research.