Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read
Review: I find myself embarassed to admit I knew so little about the fighting on Iwo Jima and the bravery and valor displayed there. Not just a book about the 6 men in The Photograph, it tells the story of others as well, from common soldiers who died moments off the boat to Medal of Honor recipients. This book should be required reading in every high school American History class in the country.
Rating:
Summary: "real" profiles in courage
Review: it's one of american's most treasured photographs, the planting of the american flag on "sulfur island" better known as iwo jima in wwii. its composition is perfect, the flag pole acting like a hypotenuse bisecting the frame, the anonymous soldiers straining to firmly plant the flag in rocky, volcanic soil, the one soldier in the rear, his arms outstretched and fingers not quite touching the pole, well, when all added up becomes a serendipitous photographic achievement and is the heart of this amazingly potent, gripping, and unsettling memoir by one of the sons of the soldiers in that famous photo. but here are some facts which won't spoil the story or ending: only three of the soldiers in that photo left the island alive, the flag raising depicted was the second one on mt. suribachi, over 20,000 u.s. marines died in the battle, most of the japanese defenders fought from underground tunnels and caves, and the flag planting did not mean that the island had been captured; far from it. this is a book about heroes, and the american need to rally behind combat heroism in the pacific theater. the american flag in the 40s meant something far different than it does today. this memoir unravels the myths,lives, and history that surround iwo jima and this photo. i give this book my full-salute--it is intense, cinematic, historical, personal, and illuminating in ways that few 'war books" can ever boast of achieving.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for Reasearch - Zip for Writing
Review: As a combat veteran of WWII, I can't pass by any account that helps to expand awareness of the valiant performance of the common soldier, sailor or gyrene despite many a blunder at command level. For example, this book points out the US Navy's ignorance of the enemy positions and their lack of barrage support, which contributed to the dreadful casualty rate. That should get readers thinking about a totally different aspect of war. The research among the survivors was awsome, but I'm not sure that anything is gained by providing specific examples of horrible deaths by name and rank. Those who loved the men who were killed and then mutilated couldn't have known those facts -- they were provided by survivors. Was it necessary for a grieving family to see that in print? Small wonder the author's father would never speak of it. The writing simply failed to live up to the story. It wasn't just the word "boy" or "boys" in almost every sentence when "Marines," "rifleman," "platoon," "squad," "detail," or simply "men" would have done the job, it was the constant attempt to add melodrama to a scene that already had more than enough drama of its own.
Rating:
Summary: Now I understand
Review: As a 46 year old son of a WWII Navy Vet. I now understand the silence that overcame my father when the subject of the War, or the Pacific came up. The change of subject when I asked about the exotic sounding Islands that he had been. He too was at Tarawa, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa. I now understand. He would only say that he put men and equipment ashore, and brought "cargo" back. This book is one of the best written, most completely and thoughtfully researched books, on any subject I had ever had the pleasure of reading. There were places in this book where I broke down and cried. Thank you Mr. Bradley. For sharing your fathers, and his five brothers in arms lives with the world. Least we never forget. Great work.
Rating:
Summary: Flags of Our Fathers
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. I enjoyed every word! It was difficult for me to put it down. If possible I would have read it without stopping. The detail of the fight for the island and the lives of the veterans was great.
Rating:
Summary: Brings tears to my eyes
Review: This book is a must read for everyone. As a US Marine, I am a little biased, but everyone should understand what the marines went through. The site and meaning of the Iwo Jima memorial should mean something to everyone as it does me. This book will give you a great description of the hard times and triumph these marines endured. Great read around Memorial Day. We owe our veterans, now learn why.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: What a great book. This work reads as a novel. The lives of the flagraisers come to life with each turn of the page. Bradley takes one of the most enduring symbols of US history and personifies it for the reader. Readers should not expect a "battle history" rather a biography of the men who we have seen countless times, who were remarkable in their own light.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for any American
Review: Only the son of a Marine that fought at Iwo Jima could have gotten the veterans to talk about their horrific experiences 55 years after the battle. Part memoir, part history, and all very good. An incisive commentary about how fame and celebrity enveloped these young men for something they thought of no significance. John Bradley was right that the "real heroes were those who didn't come back" from Iwo Jima. But all of them were heroes who fought and only wanted to forget upon returning home. We can learn much from this men through this book.
Rating:
Summary: They Saved The World
Review: I recently finished reading this book and was very moved. I am a former Navy Hospital Corpsman, and retired Nurse Corps Officer. I spent a year in Viet Nam with the "First of the First" Alpha 1/1 and have had the highest respect for the U.S. Marine Corps. I can remember as a child looking up at the Dress Blue uniform in my Dad's closet and being awed. My Dad was a GYSGT with the 4th Marine Division landing on Iwo Jima and consequently I have read nearly everything printed about this epic battle. This book was different in the fact that it gave more background about the boys who fought,died and survived this battle. I can barely imagine the horror and fear that these men went through. I don't beleive they have received the credit they deserved and have often been overlooked due to the battle at Normandy but this book should serve to help illuminate their efforts. I am eternally grateful for their sacrifices and proud to be a son of a marine who fought in this battle. They were truly heroes. Mr. Bradley is to be commended for a truly great book. This book should be required reading.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a "War Story"
Review: Perhaps one of the best books I've read in the past three years, Flags of Our Fathers is actually a journey of discovery and learning. The author, the son of one of the men portrayed in the famous Iwo Jima flag raising photo, knew very little about his father's actions in World War II. After his father's death, he discovers a different person from the father he knew, and he details his father's life, as well as the lives (and deaths) of the five other soldiers happenstance put on Suribachi for the flag raising. Researching his book through historical documents and interviews with friends and survivors, Bradley takes you on his journey of discovery through the lives of the six men, and his own heartfelt epiphany that his father was more than a small-town businessman. Although the brief depictions of the battle were graphic (an undoubtedly accurate), the author does a fine job of using the horror of war to explain the circumstance of the six men being on Iwo Jima, and the effects the battle and The Photograph had on the six men. In my opinion, Flags of Our Fathers ranks with Killer Angels as the best character development books set in wartime.
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