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Summary: A FIVE STAR FLAG FOR FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Review: This book needs no review, but only the strong recommendation that it become required reading for all high school students. Mr. Bradley not only relates the story of his father and the other five marines who raised the flag on Suribachi; he not only vividly, and honestly, presents the Hell that was Iwo Jima, along with the courage it took to win that island; and he not only tells the tale without bitterness towards the enemy. No, in addition to all these things, Mr. Bradley explains why Tom Brokaw could call these people the "greatest generation." Mr. Bradley subtly shows us the debt we owe to these men and the obligation we have to carry their story into the future. This is a story for all Americans.
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Summary: A Moving, Impressive and Unforgettable Reading Experience!
Review: Every once in a while, a book comes along that defies easy description, a tome destined to be a smash success and win well deserved praise, precisely because it is written so well, is so accessible and readable, and so memorably ties together several different elements into a storyline that makes perfect sense, tells a wonderful and memorable story in a completely different way, and is also a credible work of descriptive history. This, friends, is such a memorable book. This book works extremely well at several levels. First, it is the first-person story behind one of the most famous battle photographs of world war two, the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. It proceeds to tell us the poignant story of the six men in the photograph and their families from the families' recollections. It also tells us of the tragedies and later lives of each of the three surviving Marines, only one of whom survived to live what we could describe as a normal life. It also gives us insight into what these men were beyond the headlines, the parades, and the hyperbole, and what participation in the murderous military campaign in the South Pacific and the later hoopla meant to them, their families and to the rest of their lives. Finally, it is an excellent, first-person, man on the ground kind of description of the day to day battle on Iwo Jima, which was much harder fought and much more bloody than even the military expected it would be. One stands in awe of this work based on the simple fact that it has been written fifty years after the fact, and yet is clearly the book one recognizes to be the definitive book on a particular subject. From here on, no one who considers himself or herself a student of the Second World War in the South Pacific against the Japanese can feel fully educated or properly informed about the battle for Iwo Jima and its aftermath until they've read "Flags Of Our Fathers". This is history come alive, made real, relevant, still timely and accessible. This is a book for everyone's history book shelves. Read it now, and savor it forever.
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Summary: Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue
Review: As a Marine who had the honor of visiting Iwo Jima, I feel that this book captured everything it means to be a Marine. All the men who participated in that epic battle showed the honor, courage and committment to God, Corps and Country. Mr Bradley's work transcends a battle for an island in the Pacific. All Americans of my generation should read this book.
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Summary: A look behind the famous photo.....
Review: James Bradley, the son of one of the six flagraisers on Mt. Suribachi, has written a beautiful novel on the childhoods, training, combat and post-war lives of the flagraisers who were not killed on Iwo Jima. It is truly a poignant book, and repeatedly made me wonder "what if" when considering so many lives that were cut short. The battle of Iwo Jima was the bloodiest of the Pacific. It was supposed to take 3 to 4 days. It took 36 days of savage combat against 22,000 crack Japanese soldiers who were defending what was considered "The Homelands" for the first time in the war. They were all dug in, some as deep as seven stories, into the volcanic earth, and the U.S. Marines landed to fight an unseen enemy. This was the only battle of the Pacific that saw Marine casualties outnumber those of the Japanese. The defenders brought in their best mining engineers, quarry specialists and labor battalions. Tunnels connected everything, and all had ventilation and most had electricity. They had multiple entrances to avoid entrapment. One hospital could treat over 400 men, with beds carved into the rock. A cunning and suicidally brave enemy awaited the Marines. The training these Marines went through took place on the Big Island of Hawaii, on a base dubbed "Camp Tarawa". They spent a year getting ready for this battle, which shows the foresight the Marine leaders had. The rest of the book details the brutal fighting, and the post war lives of the surviving Marines. Finally, after reading this, I now understand why so many of these men just would not talk about their experiences. And it was the author's father, a humble man who as a Navy Corpsman repeatedly risked his life to save wounded Marines, it was his story indeed that spelled out the silence of these great men. Ask yourself, after reading this book, if those of us in the year 2000 could put it on the line like Americans did in the 1940's. Better yet, thank a Veteran that we don't have to.
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Summary: "Momma! Momma! He's killng me mom! He's killing me!"
Review: My grandfather was a 19 yr old Marine from Brooklyn, NY when he landed on Iwo Jima with the 26th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division. His unit's job was to drive straight across the narrow neck of the island, choking off Mt. Suribachi which loomed to his left side. As a child I lacked the sense of decorum to avoid asking him questions about what he did and what happened to him during the war. While growing into an adult I now feared to ask the questions that I had asked but failed to appreciate as a child. This book has enabled me to ask questions that have given me an even greater appreciation of him, his remarkable life, and the young men who never left Iwo Jima alive. This is the best "soldier's" account of the Battle of Iwo Jima I have ever read. Giving light to the brutality of the Pacific War with an enemy that wouldn't surrender and felt to hesitation to torture those it defeated. I want of those who see Iwo Jima as just a caption on famous picture to read about 22,000 enemy soldiers that fought from holes and caves coursing through the island. I want them to look at pictures of the volcanic island with a mountain on one end overlooking a landscape that offered little to no cover to its invaders. Bradley does an excellent job in reminding the public at large that the battle's end wasn't marked with the flag raising, but just a point in the battle's beginning (D-Day +3) of a 34 day slaughter. My grandfather like the Marines below Suribachi witnessed the first flag raising and told me he cried and cheered as did his compatriots for it was the first visible sign that perhaps the killing would end, unfotunately it would go on for another 30+ days. My grandfather, like most of the Marines who landed that first day wasn't on the island as he was wounded just 4 days after the flag raising. He has told me of the fear at night as he would try to sleep on the island knowing there were night infiltrations by Japanese who would sneak into GI foxholes and stab sleeping Marines to death. This was brought home in Bradley's book as one Marine's describes hearing another Marine's last words as he was being stabbed to death at night in his foxhole crying out "Momma! Momma! He's killng me! He's killing me momma! He's killing me!" It's time the Pacific War had it's "Saving Private Ryan," spare this is real. This happened.
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Summary: Flags Of Our Fathers
Review: One of the best war novels I ever read.It describes the unbelievable courage of the Marines on Iwo Jima.
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Summary: What makes a person who he is....
Review: I bought this book as a Father's Day gift for my husband. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting; yesterday afternoon. What caught my eye was the beginning section - Sacred Ground. The author wanted to know why his father kept so many secrets..and in trying to find out - discovered who these men were that were such a big part of his father's life...during a traumatic time in history. The sentence Doc Bradley wrote in one letter to his folks made me cry, '...it was the happiest moment of my life!' And his son didn't even know why his Dad felt that way. I admire Mr. Bradley's tenacity to get to know his Dad's war experiences, and of his comrades. I have nothing but admiration and pride in all the men in this story; thanks for letting me get to know them as people, rather than just names in history.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: This stories behind the famed photograph are as fascinating the photograph itself. The pages are filled with emotional stories of both heroism and tragedy, and tell us not only what it was like to be a marine at Iwo Jima, but also how the families of these brave men were effected by the war and the undesired fame the photo brought them. I highly recommend this book
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Summary: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Review: I knew nothing about the Battle of Iwo Jima before reading this book. I found this book to be a compelling read. The description of this battle truly conveys the horror of war and the heroism of the men who persevered to obtain victory. The authors account of the lives of the men who raised (the second) flag at Iwo brings home to the reader the emotional turbulence that this horrific battle caused to the all the veterans and their families. This book should be read by everyone.It is a moving memoir.
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Summary: Fantastic story about common virtue!
Review: "Flags of our Fathers" is one of the finest historical novels I've ever read. It's the story of the six flagraisers in that famous photograph, their lives and experiences. It's really a tribute to all of the heroes of World War II and the Pacific Campaign. It is an inspiring tale that will strike a cord with anyone who has been, or has family that have been, in combat fighting for their country. A highly recommended read!
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