Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley, Ron Powers
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Book Reviews of Flags of Our Fathers
Book Review: A vivid portrayal of the story behind the icon
Summary: 5 Stars
Flags of our Fathers is a book that encompasses a wide but relevant spectrum of interrelated stories behind the Marines' role in the Pacific War, the battle for Iwo Jima and the real story behind the flag raising atop Mount Suribachi. From the beginning, Bradley succeeds in painting a colorful picture of the events with his descriptive yet clear prose as he states his intended goal of the book: to bring to life the lives of the six flag raisers on Mount Suribachi by doing away with Rosenthal's photograph as a single unit, and zooming in on each individual boy's life in turn.
The book proceeds chronologically as Bradley discusses the boyhood lives of the six and how the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent involvement of the United States in a two-frontal war brought the boys to answer the call of duty. From the initial training in USMC boot camp to the landing of the marines on the black sands of Iwo Jima, Bradley never sways in captivating the attention of the reader with his descriptions of the transition that the six boys all made from being boyish American adolescents to battle hardened young men who had jumped into adulthood the hard way. Bradley also takes his time in stressing that the marines had formed an intimate and loving brotherhood that was so robust and true that when it came to battle, the marines who were serving their country gave their lives for their fellow marine buddies.
While the young marines fought heroically against an enemy that remained invisible for large periods of time, the American public was mesmerized by a fluke of a photograph taken by one Joe Rosenthal. It showed the six boys - Ira, Franklin, Harlon, Mike, Rene and John hoisting Old Glory aloft on Mount Suribachi. Bradley examines the true story of this event - it was not a pronouncement of victory for the marines on Iwo Jima after a hard-fought, bloody but triumphant battle as the press so confidently stated; it was simply a replacement flag for the original one that Colonel Chandler Johnson insisted belonged to the battalion of marines who had fought bravely to make the planting of the flag possible in the first place.
In its shocking, honest portrayal, Flags of our Fathers highlights the ideals that the founding fathers of America had preached and packs a heartfelt personal dimension that only a son of a flag raiser could feel towards this powerful iconic image in American history. The inscription carved at the base of the Iwo Jima memorial in Washington D.C. best sums up what in the eyes of the author's father, John Bradley, was an insignificant and forgettable event that paled in the face of the many acts of intrepidity performed by the marines on that island - Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue.
To sum it up, Flags of our Fathers is a book that relates the brutal battle of Iwo Jima and transubstantiates the six boys in the photograph from being "anonymous representative figures" to becoming real individuals that led their own distinctive lives. I would recommend it to anyone interested on the topic of the Battle for Iwo Jima and the flag raising- and to anyone who is simply looking for a good book to immerse themselves in; for in FLAGS, readers will truly appreciate the efforts of the American boys who with their valiant actions, ensured that the freedom the founding fathers envisioned long ago would live on into the future.
Book Review: A Remarkable Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Although many books have been written about the legendary battle for Iwo Jima, through a combination of outstanding narrative and thorough research, Flags of Our Fathers recounts the story as none has before.
Few authors have captured the extent of human suffering experienced by the Marines as they fought for every precious inch of terrain on the tiny Pacific island. Beyond a mere war story, however, Flags of our Fathers is about the impact of these young men and those like them on the collective conscience of a generation of Americans.
Through the eyes of survivors on both sides, the book offers a terrifying account of war in the Pacific as could only be told by those who actually fought it. Equally impressive, the authors provide an account of the Japanese defenders occupying Iwo as well as vivid descriptions of their extensive, labyrinthine fortifications. Readers are thus able to fully appreciate what was a monumental life-and-death struggle between war-weary combatants. Indeed, U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers would confront each other on Iwo and an astonishingly small number would walk away.
Fighting on the island was both raw and primal, and we are able to relive this horrific event through the experiences of the six flag-raisers whose figures grace the memorial. The Greatest Generation is on full display in this one - from the Marines who slugged it out with their Japanese adversary to the women who loved them. Through the tale of their lives both before and after the battle we are reminded of all that was great about America during the WWII era.
While their exploits on the island were anything but ordinary, we find that the six flag-raisers came from unremarkable, middle class roots. A varsity athlete from Texas, a Native American from Arizona, and a Wisconsin farm boy among others - Flags of Our Fathers' principal characters are straight from a Norman Rockwell original which lends such poignancy to this story. As we learn about these great Americans, we relive much of the tragedy in that chapter of our country's history.
It is Iwo's residual cost, though, that is perhaps the most compelling element of Flags of Our Fathers. Indeed, we feel the deep emotional pain felt by not only the surviving members of the flag-raising detail but by the family members of those who did not survive. We are able to glimpse through the eyes of the proud son of one of these great patriots the wounds, both physical and emotional, that he took with him when he left the island. Though all but invisible to those with whom he would later come in contact, the scars of Iwo would accompany Jim Bradley's father well into his twilight.
The story behind the flag-raising is almost incidental to the events during and subsequent to the battle for Iwo. Though interesting, the act of raising the flag is eclipsed by the combat scenes and the more significant events of the young Marines' lives after the battle. Nevertheless, readers will find the story of multiple photos of the flag-raising (and photographers) surprising... even humorous.
A truly remarkable story about some of the fine, young Americans who answered the call!
Book Review: ... I just jumped in to lend them a hand.
Summary: 5 Stars
So John "Doc" Bradley answered how he became a flag-raiser on Iwo Jima. Bradley of Wisconsin, Franklin Sousley of Kentucky, Ira Hayes of Arizona, Mike Strank of Pennsylvania, Harlon Block of Texas, and Rene Gagnon of Massachusetts. Author James Bradley introduces us to each man. We learn of them individually as indicative of the generation that set aside personal dreams and comforts to "jump in" and serve. Collectively, they found themselves in a chance photograph, a mere 1/400th of a second that propelled them to unsought fame. Even while helping raise $26 Billion in war bonds, they denounced the accolades of heroism heaped upon them. The three survivors of Iwo Jima - Hayes, Bradley and Gagnon - professed that the true heros were their dead comrades. Indeed! Bradley tells a story of upbringing, trials, fears, courage, sacrifice, and humility... not just of the immortalized flagraisers, but their buddies for and with whom they fought. As I read about John Bradley's later retisence to discuss his wartime experiences I was mindful of my father and father-in-law, both veterans of the Pacific.
In addition to an intimate biographical gem, Bradley's book fills a void in the WWII literary landscape. The anniversary of D-Day in Euorope is often remembered and recognized. Justifably so. But Flags will help us remember the remote pieces of coral and volcanic sand, far off the beaten path of travel and easy memory. Consider Iwo Jima: 22,000 Japanese, most killed; 70,000 Marines, over a third casualties; 27 Medals of Honor (a third of the Marines Corps' WWII total) in 36 days for eight square miles that saved 2,400 distressed B-29 bombers and 27,000 airmen.
Biography is Bradley's strength; however, while his summary history provides needed context it sometimes borders on simplistic if not outright challenging. For example, at one point Bradley contends that the Soviets won the war in Europe having killed 3-of-4 Germans in that Theater. That "logic" ignores (a) Stalin's persistent demand for a second front; (b) the role (and sacrifice) of the Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command in leveling German industry, and (c) the allied merchant marine, Naval Armed Guard, etc. ability to deliver material to the USSR while defeating the U-Boat menace. The teamwork Bradley idolizes on Iwo Jima seems suddenly lost in Europe.
That said, this is an exceptional and, in many places very personal book. Having seen Clint Eastwood's film by the same name, you may be tempted to bypass the book. Don't. While the movie is true to the book, the book is so much more. Once I started reading I could not put Flags down. Perhaps the message someone chiseled outside the cemetery on Iwo sums it best: When you go home / Tell them for us and say / For your tomorroww / We gave our today. Amen.
Book Review: A unique book indeed
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is more than a vivid war history, a glimpse at a different era, and the remarkable account of six men's lives. This book is not just the most poignant tribute from a son to his father you'll ever come across. From the opening pages, as the author elaborates on "The Photograph" and how it captured the life-stories of each of the flagraisers, you realize that in your hands you are holding something truly exceptional. A million thoughts and emotions whirled in my mind as I read this book.
Revisionists who claim that the atomic bombs should not have been dropped on Japan couldn't be more clueless. When you try to comprehend the carnage at Iwo Jima and the brutal tenacity of the Japanese defenders, there will be no doubt in your mind that dropping the A-bombs actually saved more lives than it took.
My respect and awe of the Marine Corps has increased exponentially. I can't help but wonder: had I been called upon to go through what those men did, would I have been able to? How do I raise my children (though I pray they will never go through such a test) to have the same character and integrity as these men? I feel as being told for the first time in my life that, yes, there was indeed a time when boys could graduate from high school without kissing a girl, when children learned that helping your family took precedence over having fun, and when discipline was indispensable to a child's self-esteem. It seems that somebody or something nowadays has led us to believe that such a time did not really exist and our fathers behaved just as badly as we did, or that such values were inconsequential and that we should not strive to instill them upon our own children. And, yes, there was actually a time when our government did not feel entitled to our money even in times of crisis, but by the same token our citizens did not hesitate to personally make financial sacrifices to support our government in a crisis.
The author grew up oblivious to what his father had suffered and of his accomplishments. He was able as a young adult to visit the country of his father's enemies, to appreciate the wonders of Japanese culture, and to recognize that the atrocities by Japanese soldiers during WWII had resulted from the vicious perversion of their traditional values by the military dictatorship. How could his father come out of such an ordeal with a justifiable rage against the nation of his brutal enemies, and yet managed to preserve his children from being contaminated by his rage?
As you can see, the number and scope of lessons contained in this book is almost incalculable. I don't think I can recommend this book enough, especially to the younger generations for whom the experiences related herein may soon appear as the stuff of legends.
Book Review: Should be required reading for all Americans
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a poignant reminder that freedom is never free. The book is as much a tribute to the men who gave their lives on the island of Iowa Jima as it is an exploration of the lives of those who raised the flag in one of the most iconic photos of all time. Flags of our Fathers aptly illustrates the bravery of our servicemen in the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marines. Every American needs to read Bradley's description of this battle and the human cost of our victory in WWII.
Bradley deftly humanizes the flag raisers, painting their lives with careful detail. He is always fair, portraying their successes and failures with an even, historical tone. At times there is a sentimental quality to his writing, but this doesn't detract from the book as a whole. Who would not have a certain level of sentimentality writing about their war-hero father and his comrades?
This book is a captivating examination of all that is right, and unfortunately, all that is wrong with America and the WWII era. The selflessness of the servicemen both in combat and then as part of war bond drives is both heroic and admirable. The way the US government treated these men, and the way they preyed on their heroism is disgusting and shameful. The US propaganda machine, the racism suffered by the Native American Ezra Hayes, and the failure to offer our soldiers any real counseling or assistance with their mental health after their return to the States are equally disgraceful.
It would be nice, if some 60 years later things had changed, but just go to a movie theater and wait for a National Guard commercial, and you'll realize that as a Nation we are still using our servicemen and women as pawns in political machinations. Research the way soldiers returning from Iraq suffering PTSD are being treated, and it quickly becomes apparent that we have many of the same problems now that we did then. We need to start acknowledging our soldier's bravery and sacrifice without entangling them in the dirty world of politics. We also need to take responsibility for their mental health after we send them to war.
Flags of our Fathers does not take a stance on the modern context of these issues. It doesn't need to. It describes what America did well, what it didn't, and the very real consequences of both extremes in the lives of the men portrayed in the book. It should be a lesson to us all, and this is why I believe every American should read it.