![]() Adam Beach plays Ira Hayes, an American Indian (Pima) who takes the war very seriously and is the brunt of many racial jokes from his fellow soldiers. Jesse Bradford plays Rene Gagnon, a Marine runner who is none to thrilled to be on the island. Ryan Phillippe plays Jon “Doc” Bradley, a Navy medic whose responsibility it seems is to make everything seem alright to those wound victims he knows have no chance of survival. Everyone has seen the picture of the six brave soldiers who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi, but Eastwood uses that as the focus of his film, and follows the three of those six who survived the war. It is a well-written book and one that is well worth reading for anyone with an interest in the subject matter.Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of Our Fathers” lands us on Iwo Jima for a harrowing look at the battles fought there during World War II, and then returns us stateside to witness the internal battles fought by three survivors. It does a great job of mixing the history of events with the history of individuals. It is fast-moving and, quite honestly, just fascinating. But even more so, it is the story of six ordinary men who were called to do extraordinary things, but who found fame through doing something none of them considered at all remarkable.įlags of our Fathers, while perhaps a little too melodramatic at times, reads almost like a movie script (and, in fact, it has recently been turned into a popular film). It is the story behind the world’s most famous photographs and a defining piece of American history. This book is, then, a tribute to these six men on one level, but a tribute to all of those who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima on another level. The fame they found, quite unintentionally, by raising the flag did not bring any of them true or lasting happiness. Two others would die younger than would seem right. Three of them would lose their lives before the battle ended. It zooms in further to moment-by-moment action as they fought in the battle that defined their lives. ![]() It follows them loosely through their early days and zooms in through the days of their military recruitment and training. The raising of that pole was as forgettable as tying the laces of his boots.įlags of our Fathers traces the lives of the six men who raised that flag over Iwo Jima. ![]() He did not recognize himself or any of the others. When he was shown the photo for the first time, he had no idea what he was looking at. The moment that saddled my father with the label of “hero” contained no action worthy of remembering. However he valued or devalued his own achievement, it did stand as an accomplishment. But at least, the hero could understand the focus of the emotion. Often, those heroes have been indifferent to the public’s attention. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. ![]() Today the word “hero” has been diminished, confused with “celebrity.” But in my father’s generation the word meant something.Ĭelebrities seek fame. Sponsor Show Your Support Become a Patron In that misunderstood and corrupted word, I think, lay the final reason for John Bradley’s silence. Though his actions in the battle earned him a Navy Cross, he never considered himself a hero. John Bradley, James’ father, went on to live a long and productive life, but never spoke of the battle. The six men who raised this flag were lauded as heroes, but the three who walked off the island were reluctant to accept this fame. The image of six men raising a flag over Iwo Jima became a national symbol and a rallying point during what was a long and costly war. He was one of the six men who have been immortalized in what quickly became the world’s most famous and most reproduced photograph. James Bradley’s father was one of those survivors. Those who survived this battle were changed forever. In the annals of warfare, few battles have been more brutal than the battle of Iwo Jima. Yet the horrors of war can only really be understood, it seems, by those who have been involved in them. It’s an understatement, I know, and something that is almost too obvious to bother saying.
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