history

I just finished this book. When I was done, I just sat there for awhile, trying to digest everything I'd read. This is the most powerful and human book about World War II I've read, while at the same time taking an unflinching look at the brutality and horror the Marines at Iwo Jima -- for the most part young men in their late teens and early 20's -- endured while taking that small volcanic island in the Pacific. Iwo was taken under fierce resistance from an enemy they couldn't see -- fanatical Japanese soldiers who were bunkered underground. The book tells the story of The Photograph -- the most famous photo of the 20th century -- the flagraising on Iwo Jima which was eventually immortalized in bronze at the Marine Corps memorial in Arlington Cemetery.

Through Mr. Bradley's powerful writing, I felt like I got to know the six flagraisers on Iwo -- "Doc" Bradley (Mr. Bradley's father) a Navy corpsmen (medic) who was awarded the Navy cross for his heroism in treating Marines on the battlefield, Sgt. Mike Strank, a "Marine's Marine" who put the welfare of the men under his command before himself and who had a wild sense of humor, Franklin Sousley, a country boy from Kentucky who probably never kissed a girl, Harlan Block, a football player from Texas who struggled with his Seventh Day Adventist beliefs about killing while on the battlefield, Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona who fought his own demons by taking to alcohol after the war, and Rene Gagnon, a millhand from New Hampshire who happened to be in the right place at the right time. And I also got to know a lot of other guys who were on Iwo -- including Iggy.

This book tells the flagraisers' story from boyhood on -- up to the battle of Iwo Jima, where three of them lost their lives -- and then of the effect of The Photograph on the remaining three lives. Through it all, a common theme runs through -- these guys did not consider themselves heroes. "The real heroes of Iwo Jima are the ones who didn't come back," Doc Bradley told his son on one of the few times he talked about it. "We were just ordinary guys doing our jobs," one of the survivors told Mr. Bradley during an interview. I beg to differ -- if there was one common virtue shown, it was that the Marines would lay down their lives for each other, and thus showed "uncommon valor."

This book is hard to read at times -- especially about what happened to "Iggy" -- Doc Bradley's closest friend on the battlefield. Like I said, I got to know them, and I grieved when some of them died on the battlefield. This book is essential for anyone who wants to understand the sacrifices that have been made for our country. I loved it -- and I'm sure I'll read it again.

Thank you, James Bradley, for a work of love, and for a human, awe-inspiring, and powerful story. I agree with the last two sentences of your acknowledgements -- they said they were just ordinary guys. They were "you ordinary guys -- you heroes of Iwo Jima."

Having only the cursory knowledge of Iwo Jima from the immortalized "photograph" and monument near Arlington National Cemetary, reading "Flags of Our Fathers" was an eye-opening experience. Born in the late 60's, I grew up in with war and its after-effects having little impact on my own personal life (somehow my immediate family escaped any time in the military). In this deeply personal account of the events surrounding Iwo Jima, James Bradley gives the reader a detailed account of the famous battle that no high school history class lesson could do justice to. From the "underground city" of Iwo to the facts surrounding the quite accidental photographic capture of the incidental second flagraising, the book is both educational and fairly quick read.

I was a little put-off early in the early stages of the book. In leading up to the actual battle, Bradley seemed to have already elevated the six flagraisers to godlike status. But having finished "Flags," one can easily forgive the author for the high reverence he holds for these individuals now knowing how each of their stories ended. Having recently visited Washington, I stopped at the US Marine Corps Memorial near the end of my trip. I did not know the names or stories of the men behind the impressive statues. Reading "Flags" made me initially regret what, at the time, had been a fairly unemotional visit to yet another DC monument. While that changed as I read "Flags" (I pulled out the photos I had taken several times while reading), I ultimately believe that the surviving flag raisers (particularly the author's father, John Bradley) would be quite happy that I did not associate them with the celluloid or bronze images that dogged them for the remainder of their lives.

It is heartening to see the success of this book. While not a scholarly historical work, Bradley has done a great service in recording these men's stories and the brave efforts of all who have ever fought for their country.

This book is the best world war 2 book i have ever read to date. This book takes you at an in depth look and the whole history behind the actual picture that was taken that will always be a piece of american history. The details of the battle scenes in the book can make you sick to your stomach at certain point, and even make your eyes water from reading it. This book has everything, emotion, action, and a overall great read.