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Summary: Really surprising story behind the photo
Review: In World War II terms, there are perhaps only a handful of pictures we can all remember having seen. In this case, this is the photo we know the least about what happened during its capture, and of the people involved. For a first effort, this book is a strong surprise by Bradley, son of one of the men pictured raising the flag. The stories of each of the men involved, before the war, during, and after, is well-told, as is the effect of being in this famous photo. The description of the conditions in which the battle took place that led to the photo are similarly poorly known. Flags of our Fathers does a very good job bringing what appears to be just a photo of American Marines in World War II to vivid life, and is well worth the read.
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Summary: Great book,
Review: This book was the first book that i read about the War in The pacific. Bradely does a great job of telling the story of 6 ordinary Marines, who went on to live in infamy.
The book introduces you to the characters, Doc Bradely, Mike Strank, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, Ira Hayes, and Franklin Sousley. You follow them through there training, and onto the Island of Iwo Jima. You learn the true Story of the second flag raising atop Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. You learn the staggering facts and figures of what these young Marines were up against. The book focuses mainly on these 6 flag raiseres but also talk extensively about the battle itself. Bradley follows the surviving flagraisers after the war, and showed how they handle the war. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in WWII history. It really gives you a behind the scene story of the most famous photograph of all time. Bradely does a great job telling this, because his dad, Doc Bradley was on of the flagraiseres.
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Summary: Great reading
Review: I will make this very short. One of the best small books I ever read, could not put it down. Even if you have no interest in this type of historical book it makes fantastic reading. This book really gives you a feeling of the experiences your father or grandfather may have endured during the WWII era. This is a must read for all !!!!!
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Summary: Monumental tribute to the heroes of Iwo Jima
Review: As a baby-boomer, I'd certainly heard of Iwo Jima. I was familiar with the famous photograph of the flag-raisers on Mt. Suribachi. But I had no idea what the battle represented, why it was perhaps the most vicious fight of the entire war and had no clue as to the incredible selflessness of the Marines and Corpsmen who fought, killed and died on an obscure spot of volcanic ash in the Pacific. Bradley was inspired to research and to write about his father, one of the pictured flag-raisers. The inspiration came, primarily, because of his Father's very reluctance to speak of what occurred on Iwo. The experiences were so painful, so vivid, that his father spoke but a few words to his son on the subject during his entire lifetime. Bradley responded to the mystery by researching the lives of all of the flag-raisers, speaking with their families and their comrades-in-arms. The book is excellent because it relies heavily on graphic descriptions of the events by veterans. The island represented the first piece of territorial Japan to be invaded by the Americans and it was a veritable underground fortress. It was so heavily fortified that Bradley tells us the final Japanese defenders did not surrender until 1949 - and they emerged from the depths of the island well-fed and -clothed. The chaotic invasion, the deadly crossfires, the taking of Suribachi and the final sweep across the entire island are brilliantly described by Bradley and the veterans. Iwo served as a air corridor gatekeeper on the way to Tokyo. The book tells us of the casualty projections that Allied planners arrived at as they drew up the tactics for conquering Japan. Countless millions of lives on both sides were saved by the A-bombs as Japan had steadfastly refused to surrender and had promised terrible, Iwo-like battles at every turn. In describing the awful nature of battle and the lives of those who fought it, Bradley has performed a service for all of us. It is an outstanding tribute to all veterans and especially his father.
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Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: I've read a number of books on World War II, the military, and the United States Marine Corps. This book is by far one of the best. Bradley writes very well and makes you feel as if you're part of the action. I'd strongly recommend the book to ANYONE with any interest in the military, specifically the USMC. I'd also recommend BOOT, a book about modern-day Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island Recruit Training Depot in South Carolina.
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Summary: One of the Best Battle Books Ever Written
Review: Hayes, Gagnon, Sousley, Strank, Block, and Bradley. Six ordinary men, who in one moment frozen in time have become etched in our minds forever. These are the men who triumphantly raised the flag on Mt. Surabachi. James Bradley, the son of Jack "Doc" Bradley, has done a magnificent job of telling the story of these ordinary young men who in the face of battle became heroes. They came from ordinary backgounds, left their families, fought and, ultimately, died for thier country. Mr. Bradley examines the life of each of the flagraisers, from Ira Hayes, the Indian, to his own father Jack Bradley, who wanted nothing more than to open a funeral home in his hometown. The strain of the three survivors of the war, Hayes, Bradley, and Gagnon, is brought to life as they cris cross the country attending various galas and services. Ultimately, Hayes has numerous brushes with the law and ends up in prison, where he ultimately dies. Meticulousy written in a style that cannot be put down, "Flags of Our Fathers" is destined to become, in the words of Stephen Ambrose, "One of the Best Battle Books Ever". This is a must read for World War II readers.
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Summary: The best history lesson you'll ever read!
Review: Moments in time can decide the whole future. This book defines clearly those moments and all the preparations that led up to them. Mr. Bradley has written one of the most heart-wrenching accounts of a battle that up to now I had only heard about in passing while in school. This book is about a lot more than just the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi. The six in-depth portraits of the men who carried out this feat and their buddies are the core of this well-researched book. The battle scenes are written in such a shockingly matter-of-fact style that more than once I had to put the book down and catch my breath, not daring to completely accept the horror that I had just read. Mr. Bradley weaves a beautiful story amongst the harshest of fabrics...a war zone. What becomes of the six men after the spotlight stopped shining is truly bittersweet. This is a tale of two wars, the one fought on the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima and the other reflective battle fought in the souls of all the men who returned. These men are represented by Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, Franklin Sousley, Mike Strank, Harlon Block and Jack Bradley. You will NEVER be able to look at the famous Rosenthal photograph again without shedding a tear and feeling your chest swell with patriotism. We all have not only the six courageous men portrayed in this book to thank, but the countless others who gave their lives to ensure our continued freedom.
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Summary: A Moving Tribute
Review: In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley writes a moving tribute to the soldiers who fought in Iwo Jima. To this day, the flagraising photograph taken atop Mt. Suribachi might be one of the most recognized images in the world. Flags of Our Fathers is the story of the men in the picture and how their lives were affected by it. Hundreds of thousands of men risked their lives in the conquest of Iwo Jima. It was a strategic acquisition for the US so the planes coming back on bombing runs from Tokoyo could make emergency landings if necessary. The battle on Iwo Jima was hard fought and lasted over a month. Ground was gained in inches and at the cost of many lives. It remains one of the most deadly battles in US military history. When Mt. Suribachi was taken a patrol was dispatched to plant the our Stars and Stripes at the summit. The patrol encountered little resistence and planed the flag in the ground to many cheers from below. After a commander requested the flag, a second patrol was dispatched to lay phone line and plant a replacement flag. It was a picture of this replacement flag that was beamed around the world and immortalized the 6 men in it. They were immediately hailed as national heroes, but they wanted nothing to do with it. After the war was over, the three survivors had to deal with the media and wanted nothing to do with them. They all maintained that the true heroes of Iwo Jima were the men who didn't come back. I liked this book very much. It is written by one of the men's son and my only gripe is that he is very quick to congratulate his father. There is no doubt that "Doc" Bradley was an amazing man, but at times the tone of the book is hardly objective. Regardless, this will go down as a great book about the overlooked Pacific theater in WWII.
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Summary: Extremely Gripping...
Review: This was an amazing read. I am 17 and have trouble getting into books, I often get bored and set a book down. Flags of our fathers was amazing, I read it for 3 hours straight at one point! The development of characters is very well done.
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Summary: A poignant story of love and war...........
Review: James Bradley, son of Mt. Suribachi flagraiser, John Bradley, has written an account of the six men whose images were immortalized by the Pulitzer Prize winning Rosenthal photo. Three of these men were killed during the ongoing battle for Iwo Jima and the other three, after experiencing the intense horror of the 36-day bloodletting, returned home as heroes. But, the U.S., adopting "The Photograph" as the icon of American valor, placed the survivors in positions of extreme emotional difficulty. These humble American warriors insisted that the flagraising was but an ordinary task and that the real heroes were the Americans buried in the sands of Iwo Jima. Bradley has provided an intimate and touching view of the flagraisers from boyhood to death which clearly portrays the tragedy of war. His prose becomes most poignant when he writes of his stoic and humble father, the passing of whom is an emotional passage of much intensity. He writes with love and is clearly in awe of the courageous men who stormed the beaches; those who died and those who came home and tried to forget the terror. James Bradley deserves our thanks for writing Flags of Our Fathers. As WWII slips further and further into our collective past, it is important that the enormous sacrifice of these men and men like them be revisited as often as possible. His book is a 5-star effort.
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