#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This is the true story behind the immortal photograph that has come to symbolize the courage and indomitable will of AmericaIn 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 … 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.
more
I appreciate the amount of background work it must have taken from this author to put this book together, one that honors the personal stories of the men who ‘raised the flag on Iwo Jima.’ I learned so much about the men who fought that war and how it affected them after, never having contemplated just how brutal it was for the marines trying to …
A wonderful, true account of the fight for Iwo Jima and the men who raised the flag there! It is told by the son of one of the flag raisers, and describes in great detail how the war and this battle affected the lives of those involved and also their families, as well as all of America at that time. Historic, interesting and real! I highly …
Book talks about the lives of the flag-raisers at Iwo Jima. Very tragic book as only one of the six lived to an old age. Well written. Clint Eastwood made a movie from it.
So so sad but truly inspirational
So much interesting information about the battle of Iwo Jima.
It was a very good read. What I found shocking was the ending. I do not believe the book ending was in the movie. I also did not know three of the flag raisers were in the movie Sands of Iwo Jima.
My admiration for the Marine Corp and its valiant men quadrupled. The book not only tells of the heroic fight by the men of Easy Company to take Iwo Jima but gives the reader a brief look at their private lives before and after this horrific battle. Although I had to set it aside for a week because of its graphic detail of battles, I highly …
The hell these men went through is tragic but inspirational.
Very informative. I thought I knew a little about the statue of the flag raising on Iwo Jima. Turned out I knew very little. I can’t imagine how those brave men went into battle knowing they’d most likely never go home again. We are so fortunate to have so many incredible men and women give their lives for our freedom!
I was very interesting learning about the backgrounds of each man on the flagpole and where they are now. I may even read it again.
Very informative, never get the true story from a history book. Makes one wonder just what all of the enlisted men went through, so many would not talk about their war experiences.
Makes me even prouder to be an American!
A wonderful subject that’s not wonderfully written. You can find much better WWII books; this is certainly a very high level overview of the “flag raisers”.
Very tragic story of the hero’s of WW2, fact based true story.
Great perspective of the hellish nature of war and its effects on the men who survived.
Opened my eyes to how terrible war is.
THIS BOOK WAS THE BEST I HAVE READ IN QUITE A WHILE. I DID NOT REALIZE HOW HORRIBLE THINGS COULD BE SO HORRENDOUS THINGS ARE FOR OUR SERVICE MEN. WE NEED TO BE MORE THANKFUL FOR THESE MEN AND WOMEN. I THANK GOD FOR THEIR BRAVERY. TWO OF MY CHILDREN SERVED IN THE NAVY— BOTH RETIRED NOW. THE STORY WAS VERY WRITTEN .
Well researched and well written. Very informative and easy to read and understand.
As it turns out, he was not involved in raising the flag in the photograph. Nevertheless, a wonderful portrayal of was and what it does to the men who bear its burdens.
One great read.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a subject I barely knew about but I have always admired the men putting up the flag in pictures. I was born just after the war was over. My age group was only given a few paragraphs in our history lessons about WWII. I have done much reading on my own but this is the first time I was offered a book on the men …