Flags of Our Fathers (Movie Tie-in Edition)

One of those young Americans was John Bradley, a Navy corpsman who a few days before had braved enemy mortar and machine-gun fire to administer first aid to a wounded Marine and then drag him to safety. For this act of heroism Bradley would receive the Navy Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.

Bradley, who died in 1994, never mentioned his feat to his family. Only after his death did Bradley's son James begin to piece together the facts of his father's heroism, which was but one of countless acts of sacrifice made by the young men who fought at Iwo Jima. Flags of Our Fathers recounts the sometimes tragic life stories of the six men who raised the flag that February day--one an Arizona Indian who would die following an alcohol-soaked brawl, another a Kentucky hillbilly, still another a Pennsylvania steel-mill worker--and who became reluctant heroes in the bargain. A strongly felt and well-written entry in a spate of recent books on World War II, Flags gives a you-are-there depiction of that conflict's horrible arenas--and a moving homage to the men whom fate brought there. --Gregory McNamee

Product Description
In this unforgettable chronicle of perhaps the most famous moment in American military history, James Bradley has captured the glory, the triumph, the heartbreak, and the legacy of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Here is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of America.

In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf at Iwo Jima—and into history. Through a hail of machine-gun and mortar fire that left the beaches strewn with comrades, they battled to the island's highest peak. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever.

To his family, John Bradley never spoke of the photograph or the war. But after his death at age seventy, his family discovered closed boxes of letters and photos. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. Following these men's paths to Iwo Jima, James Bradley has written a classic story of the heroic battle for the Pacific's most crucial island—an island riddled with Japanese tunnels and 22,000 fanatic defenders who would fight to the last man.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is what happened after the victory. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. Only James Bradley's father truly survived, displaying no copy of the famous photograph in his home, telling his son only: "The real heroes of Iwo Jima were the guys who didn't come back."

Few books ever have captured the complexity and furor of war and its aftermath as well as Flags of Our Fathers. A penetrating, epic look at a generation at war, this is history told with keen insight, enormous honesty, and the passion of a son paying homage to his father. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war.


From the Hardcover edition.

These men often did not get the respect they deserved once those with an interest in them finish using them for War-Bond drives, or as publicity for a movie.

Per Oxford, hill-billy is a derogative term comparable to hick. So not only is one of the commercial reviews above offensive, the writer cannot spell. There are no definitions that are remotely positive. Ira Hamilton Hayes was a member of the Pimwa Tribe, or perhaps a Native American Pimwa. To sum up his life as, "an Arizona Indian who would die in an alcohol-soaked brawl" is offensive, obnoxious, and a fact the Author would not leap to, so how a person who "read" the book could state that is remarkable. The misnomer "Indian" came about from a sailor who was not the first to reach this continent, and when he did he was so lost he called the people he found "Indians". It's the 21st century, can we start demonstrating basic respect? Especially for those who either did or were willing to lay down their lives for those of us writing these reviews, and reading their stories? This is not being politically correct, it's about respect. After you read the stories of these men, you, like I would follow; United States Marine Franklin Sousley of Kentucky, or United States Marine Ira Hamilton Hayes where they dared to go and know you were being led by the best. Iwo Jima killed Mr. Hayes, he died later in Arizona. Mr. Hayes hitchhiked 2600 miles so a Mother knew she was right, he went even when the government didn't want to bother making the correction because it was "too late", and he was told to drop it.

PLEASE do not pass this book by because you believe it is a "War Story". This is a tribute to a Father, a group of six men of which he was a part, as well as the tens of thousands who served in the Pacific Theater. This is a tribute to The United States Marine Corps, which is the branch of the service that this book focuses upon. Who will enjoy this, if any of the following appeals or applies to you buy the book. 1. "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw 2. "The Greatest Generation Speaks" by Tom Brokaw 3. "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, I'm very serious, as this book starts with the primary subjects of this book as very young children. And to say some of their childhoods were hard would be an understatement. One of the men was an immigrant who was not required to serve, and two others were not required to either. 4. If true stories about the human spirit interest you, what it can endure, what it can give, and what an individual will sacrifice for another, you will love this book. 5. If you like anything written by Stephen Ambrose, Martin Gilbert, Ron Chernow, or Amanda Foreman order this now. These authors profiled a wide range of people, from Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, James Rockefeller, and The Duchess Of Devonshire. They all brought their subjects to life in the present, as you were reading.

This book is primarily about the six men who raised the second flag on Iwo Jima. But to confine this to the category of a "War" book is not only a disservice it's wrong. This is a book about Mothers, one of who maintained against the world the identity of her son. She had changed "too many diapers" to not know whom her boy was. The man who hitchhiked 2600 miles so that Mother knew she was correct and then did what was necessary so it was recorded accurately for History. A wife who fought the government when she was told her husband, who was one of the six men, did not qualify for burial in The Arlington National Cemetery. Guess who won that argument?

The Author James Bradley could have written a book only in tribute to his Father, he did not, and if he had his Father would not have been happy. And that for me was the key to this majestic tale. This was not just about a man, six men, or The United States Marine Corps. This was about what thousands upon thousands did not for themselves but for each other. This is about the Families that raised the individuals you will see in their First Communion photograph, who became exceptional individuals, leaders, and above all team members.

The battle for Iwo Jima is nearly beyond imagining. I found myself reading and then reading again the statistics, as they are overwhelming. If you have read about the invasion of Normandy, or watched the Movie "Saving Private Ryan", the comparisons with Iwo Jima will startle you. If the issue regarding the decision to use Atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki is still a question in your mind, I believe this book will put an end to that debate.

This book is deserving of a very wide audience, I certainly hope people embrace it.

"Many people go through life wondering if they have made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem" President Ronald Reagan.


Haunting, Thought-Provoking, Graphic, Poignant   May 30, 2000
Theresa E. DaKay (Mountain Top, PA USA)
151 out of 156 found this review helpful

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a brilliant work for so many reasons: it pays homage to the six men who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima during WWII; it is a tribute to a father who felt strongly that the real heroes at Iwo were the boys who didn't come back; it is a testimonial to the USMC and its fighting men; it portrays a graphic and at times unimaginable description of the horrors of war; and, it depicts not only the indignities that we humans can suffer upon one another, but also the moments when common men (indeed, boys) are moved to perform acts of uncommon valor and courage. When reading this book, you will feel pride, grief, anger, sadness, and dismay. Its words will make you laugh, cry, mourn, and think hard. FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a good book---no, a great book---about a moment in our history and the ordinary men who performed extraordinary deeds and left their mark upon the annals of war. Read it...for the sake of the six flagraisers, the families left behind in all wars, and the whole human race.


Flags Of Our Fathers   June 12, 2000
66 out of 87 found this review helpful

As this is my first review in Amazon.com, I'd like to greet to all fellow reviewers. I think that's a great place for us to help each other as reviews is a invaluable resource to help us choose a suitable book. I haven't read the reviews below but I'm sure there're lots of 5-star reviews and i assure you that it's well deserved.

A bit history : on December 7, 1941, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto gave the fateful coded message climb Mt. Niitaka which signalled the attack by Japanese carrier-based aircraft upon the U. S. Pacific Fleet, peacefully anchored at Pearl Harbor. On February 23, 1945, U. S. marines climbed another mountain - Mt. Suribachi on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima and planted an American flag (the pic on the front cover).

The author is the son of John Bradley, a navy corpsman who who has received the Navy Cross. The book is about the life stories of the six men that raised the flag on Iwo Jima, before and after Iwo Jima, as well as the story of the ferocious battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945 - savagery, courage and sacrifice. The author's voice is moving, poignant and provoking.

I wonder if anyone has questioned why they were there and for what they were fighting. They only treated them as heros in their minds. But now, thanks to James Bradley as he described the war in details. Well actually he wanted to know why his father kept so many secrets and in trying to find out, he discovered who these men were and why they were such a big part of his father's life during that deeply and unforgettably shocking time in history. It shows the love between father and son, doesn't it?

This book is a must in your shelves. I'm gonna let my father read it too and I'm sure he'll enjoy it.


This is a MUST-READ!   May 2, 2000
64 out of 66 found this review helpful

James Bradley's tale of the six boys who raised the Old Glory over the island of Iwo Jima (one of whom was his own dad) is a classic of war literature.

It is a father-son story. It is a war story. It is a story of patriotism and sacrifice. But ultimately it is the story about how ordinary people can rise to extraordinary heights in fantastically dangerous situations.

Inspired and inspirational, this book is must-reading for anyone even remotely interested in World War II, and in the sacrifices that certain Americans made in order to win it.

This Memorial Day, buy a copy for everyone you know!


Six boys forever frozen in our nation's memory   May 2, 2000
Robert L. McMahon (Hillsborough, New Jersey USA)
62 out of 62 found this review helpful

No, this isn't John Wayne and "Sands of Iwo Jima". This is a story of American youth and a time of American innocence.

Who were these six young, skinny kids in this photograph? A photograph that has become an icon of our times. Three of them would never know what impact this photo and their actions had on a country. Three others would know only too well.

I sincerely thank James Bradley for taking on this very personal and very emotional subject. His father, PM2C John Bradley, USN must have been made of greater stuff than most folks. His son's book is one of the most fitting tributes to a father's memory I could ever imagine.

My most heartfelt best wishes go out to James, his mother and all the Bradley's.