Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island, Texas rescues leatherback turtles like the one above. -- AP Photos

Two of the most compelling attractions in south Texas involve leathernecks and leatherbacks. Leathernecks is slang for marines, and the pride of America's fighting forces is honoured by the Iwo Jima Memorial at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen.

Older travellers will recognize the memorial from a famous Second World War photograph of six marines raising the Stars and Stripes on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima after capturing it from the Japanese in 1945.

There's a bronze version in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, where so many war dead are buried. The Harlingen one is the original working model, made of moulding plaster.

The figures are nearly 10 metres tall, the steel flagpole more than twice that, but even more impressive are the stories you can hear from people who were actually involved in the bloody battle.

Half a dozen Iwo Jima survivors volunteer at the military academy's tiny museum. Ed Swaney, who was a 24-year-old gunnery officer on the battleship USS Nevada, was on duty the day we visited. Some of the events he described make Hollywood's old war flicks seem tame. Others are simply heart-wrenching.

Swaney's 85 now; the chance to meet men like this won't last forever. Call 800-365-6006 for details.

Leatherbacks are a type of sea turtle, and when one of them, or any other type, is found injured on the Texas coast, it's likely to end up at Sea Turtle Inc., on South Padre Island.

"This is a front-line hospital," explains curator Jeff George. They try to rehabilitate turtles so they can return to the wild. About two-thirds do. Most of the others are sent to zoos, and the few they figure wouldn't survive even in a zoo are given a permanent home at the facility.

The keepers include a turtle that had to have a flipper amputated and one that once lost two flippers in a shark attack.

A Meet the Turtles program is held daily at 10 a.m., weather permitting. Visitors can take turns feeding lettuce to to Gerry, a 135-pound green turtle that arrived at the facility as a hatchling during a hurricane 24 years ago. Tourists staying in the area are also welcome to volunteer for a morning's work; a woman from California was doing that when we arrived and said it was the highlight of her vacation. Call 956-761-4511 or visit seaturtleinc.com.

Birding is one of the major activities in south Texas' Rio Grande Valley, where 11 ecosystems merge. Upwards of 500 species have been spotted.

Texas Parks & Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and nine valley communities are developing a network of birding sites called The World Birding Center. Visit southtexasnature.com.

Square dancing is hugely popular -- the city of McAllen calls itself the Square Dance Capital of the World. There's square dancing every day, with professional callers and classes for beginners through advanced, and on weekdays you could start at 9:30 a.m. and go right through 'til after supper if you had the stamina.

Snowbirds and residents rave about Pepe's on the River, at Mission, near McAllen, which has three dance floors.

U.S. Marines raise an American flag at Iwo Jima in this famous 1945 photo. A Harligen, Texas memorial depicts their efforts.

For more information: Harlingen, 800-531-7346, harlingen.com; McAllen, 877-622-5536, mcallencvb.com; Brownsville, 800-626-2639, brownsville.org; South Padre Island, 800-767-2373, sopadre.com

Call 800-8888-TEX for a free copy of BUCKAROO BUCK$ coupon book or visit TravelTex.com.