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Summary: Flags of our Fathers
Review: Flags of our Fathers is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is a powerful and heartwrenching story, one all Americans should learn. The U S Marines are truly shown in their proper perspective, of which few Americans are aware. If you're not proud to be an American in light of recent events this will make you a believer. And if you are, this book will seal your pride for all eternity.
A must read.
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Summary: A little flat...but ok
Review: A nice 'insider edition' to the lives of those men forever captured in the most celebrated memorial of WWII, the Iwo Jima flag raising. Nothing, however most grade school kids didn't know 50 yrs ago.
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Summary: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
Review: This book is as good as has been said. It seems that the WW II vets who went through the horrors described have needed a writer of a younger generation to adequately express their combat heroics. The older men were too close-lipped. When John Bradley says, "The real heroes didn't come back," what he means is that they were doing something heroic right up to the time they got blown up. Imagine seeing someone you devoutly esteem completely destroyed by a direct hit from an artillery shell--right in front of your very eyes, a man you have been following for some time and depend upon. No one in this country today will ever have such an experience. If these men's times were not chronicled in the apt descriptions this book portrays, we would not know what American males went through during intense moments of fighting the Japanese, in these times. Read and hold onto "Flags of our Fathers"--it may be the closest you'll ever come to knowing what live combat is about. We never, ever, went through something this bad in the Vietnam war, except for some moments at Khe Sanh of Hamburger Hill. But as the sons and nephews of these men, we knew the job we had to do following their example. Thank God I was a helicopter pilot instead of an infantry platoon leader.
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Summary: Good battle narrative- but slightly skewed
Review: The book itself was excellent. I especially liked the "stories" behind the real people, and the telling of the events during the battle. But, it did get tiresome to keep reading about how the Marines were the best thing since patent-leather shoes, and all of the other services were basically worthless. I am way too young to have been in WWII, but I'm pretty sure that the European Theatre was anything but "easy" or "civilized". The people interviewed (and the author) hint that D-Day on Normandy was easy, and that after 5 PM, everyone stopped fighting to drink tea, and get a full nights sleep! And, in case you weren't aware of it, and the author forgot to mention, that the Marines weren't the ONLY service in the Pacific. The Army landed in force WITH the Marines at Guadalcanal AND Tarawa! For another perspective, I recommend "Ghost Soldiers".
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Summary: Flags of Our Fathers, The Flag Raisers of Iwo Jima
Review: James Bradley, son of the final survivor of the famous flag raising on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima, captured on the Pulitzer Prize winning photo by Joe Rosenthal, has written a superb and compelling book which must grace the book shelf of every student and lover of WWII history. James' father, John Henry "Doc" Bradley, was a Navy Hospital Corpsman who teamed with five marines to place a flag atop the highest ground on this deadly island, the final resting place for almost 7,000 marines and 21,000 Japanese. James knew very little about his father's heroism, for which he won the Navy Cross, and sacrifice. Finding a treasure of documents and letters left by his father after his death in 1994, James spent four years researching the lives of the six men in the photo, only three of whom survived the battle. He has crafted a superbly written, personal and captivating chronicle of six young men, snatched from normal lives by war and thrust to the forefront of one of WWII's deadliest battles as part of Easy Company, 2nd Batallion, 5th Marine Division. His meticulous research through letters, news stories and personal interviews of friends, family members and survivors who knew the flag raisers gives an intimate and revealing look into the events which ultimately brought these men to the most dramatic photographic moment of the war. His exhaustive efforts to follow the survivors of the photo through the remainder of their lives reveal all too clearly the almost unbearable burden of that moment's fame--the ultimate symbol of American glory and victory--upon those who raised the flag. Doc Bradley chose almost complete isolation from the event, choosing instead to keep locked in his memory the horrors of Iwo and his great personal courage. This book is both a compelling history and a wonderful tribute from a loving son to his father and his fellow soldiers who gave America one of its greatest and most enduring symbols of patriotism.
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Summary: Two words: Inspiring, Realistic
Review: As the title indicates, this book was the most inspiring and realistic book I have ever read. Every member of my family read it, males and females both, and all of them loved it as well. The book perfectly captures the exact feeling of the battle through detailed examples and eloquent language. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to reconfirm his or her belief that the human spirit can prevail.
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Summary: A must read for son's of fathers who were there
Review: After numerious historical readings on this war, this by far was the best yet. This authers ability to bring you into their lives is what made this for me, since my father was there also. He too,like DOC Bradley, would not talk much about this time in his life.
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Summary: You can smell the smoke
Review: This book is so interesting I could smell the smoke at Iwo Jima. Great infromation on the USMC, WWII, Iwo, and 1940's and 1950's America. Bradley gives info on the lives of the flagraisers to include their upbringing in the depression in rural America, NYC, and an Indian reservation. He also tells of the survivors' lives afterward up until their deaths (all are now dead). This book inspired me to reasearch further on the Pima Indian culture. I saw the author interviewed on TV and immediately purchased it ... My wife and I both read it and were pleased with it.
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Summary: Outstanding
Review: The book is not only a great history book for Iwo Jima, but a great story. If history in schools was taught with such realism and intensity, you can bet you would remember alot more. The detailed battle on Iwo Jima is one you will not soon forget, and the aftermath and effects it had on the flag bearers lives are poignant and heartfelt. Strange that it took 21 publishers before Bradley found one to publish his book.
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Summary: A New Understanding of War
Review: The opening chapter definetly grips you, makes you want to understand the obvious fascination the author holds for the subject. The author quickly famaliarizes us with the six main players in the story, and the setting. The story may seem to drag at some points early on, but this is a necessary basis and build up for the eventual climax. Once battle breaks out, the naration of continual shocking events is mind-blowing. You may feel a lump in your throat as you attempt to attatch what you are reading to actual moments in history. You cannot help but feel a close bond with the men who waged war for more than a month on Iwo Jima. From the moment these men stormed the beaches, to their eventual deaths (be it in battle or many years later in civilian life), I felt immense sadness and pride as an American. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to understand U.S. history. I have read countless books on many wars, but Flags Of Our Fathers has left me in the greatest awe.
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