Flags of Our Fathers (Movie Tie-in
Edition) by Ron Powers
Probably My All Time Favorite Book
The Battle of Iwo Jima, fought in the winter of 1945 on a rocky island
south of Japan, brought a ferocious slice of hell to earth: in a months time,
more than 22,000 Japanese soldiers would die defending a patch of
ground a third the size of Manhattan, while nearly 26,000 Americans fell
taking it from them. The battle was a turning point in the war in the Pacific,
and it produced one of World War IIs enduring images: a photograph of
six soldiers raising an American flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the
islands commanding high point. 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 Bradleys son James begin to piece together the facts of his
fathers 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 conflicts horrible
arenas--and a moving homage to the men whom fate brought there.
--Gregory McNamee
Personal Review: Flags of Our Fathers (Movie Tie-in Edition) by
Ron Powers
Simply put, this is historical narrative writing at it's best.This terrific book
tells the story of the six flag raisers in Joe Rosenthal's iconic Pulitzer-Prize
winning photograph from Iwo Jima.The author James Bradley is the son of

flag raiser John Bradley.Bradley shows how the men in the photograph
were a cross section of small town America at the time.He clearly
demonstrates how their fate tied into the larger story of Iwo Jima.Three of
the six men were killed shortly after the photo was taken in the brutal
fighting on the island.The battle scenes are unforgettable.But, this is more
then a war story, this is a story of honor,horror, fame and it's price and the
impact of war that goes on long after the shooting is over.It is a story of
good and honest men catapulted into a terrible situation and how they
dealt with it.Clearly the amazing characters were much more then just
figures in one of the wars most memorable pictures.The opening when the
Bradley family visits Iwo and the conclusion when the author remembers
his dad and his reluctance to be called a hero along with his wanting to not
talk about the war are enough to put a lump in the throat of Scrooge.This is
realistic praise of the greatest generation.It shows their strengths and their
flaws and it makes me miss my father even more.You will remember this
book long after you are done reading. That generation had it's problems
like we all do, but it faced incredible horror with a strength of character that
this book captures.
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