Flags of our fathers book. Book Review: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (by James Bradley with Ron Powers) : AH 2022-10-29

Flags of our fathers book Rating: 9,9/10 806 reviews

"Flags of Our Fathers" is a book written by James Bradley and Ron Powers that tells the story of the six men who raised the flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The book is a poignant tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of these men, who became national heroes and symbols of American patriotism.

The book begins with the background of each of the six flag raisers, introducing readers to their families, their motivations for joining the military, and their experiences leading up to the famous flag raising. The authors also delve into the social and political climate of the time, providing context for the importance of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the significance of the flag raising.

One of the most powerful aspects of the book is the way it humanizes the flag raisers, showing them as real people with their own hopes, dreams, and fears. The authors also explore the aftermath of the flag raising, including the tour that the surviving flag raisers went on to raise war bonds and the toll that the fame took on their personal lives.

In addition to telling the story of the flag raisers, "Flags of Our Fathers" also serves as a meditation on the nature of heroism and the way that history is often shaped by the stories that are told about it. The book raises important questions about the way that we remember and honor those who have served their country, and the impact that those memories have on our understanding of the past.

Overall, "Flags of Our Fathers" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant book that pays tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. It is a powerful reminder of the cost of war and the enduring power of courage and determination.

Flags Of Our Fathers by James D. Bradley

flags of our fathers book

The sun and the wind seemed to bring all of us alive. The wind had whipped on that day as well. May be very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover. I think the answer is summed up in his belief that the true heroes of Iwo Jima were the ones who didn't come back. It was America's most heroic battle. .

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Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley, Ron Powers, Paperback

flags of our fathers book

And I had grown to love them. Standing where they raised the flag at the edge of the extinct volcanic crater, the wind whipping our hair, we could view the entire two-mile beach where the armada had discharged its boatloads of attacking Marines. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols. His father never spoke to reporters, went to reunions, or participated in documentaries. The men in the photo—three were killed during the battle—were proclaimed heroes and flown home, to become reluctant symbols.

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Flags of Our Fathers

flags of our fathers book

Two hundred yards inland from where she now stood, on the third day of the assault, John Bradley saw an American boy fall in the distance. I hazarded one glance upward—at Sergeant Major Lewis Lee, the highest-ranking enlisted man in the Corps. My father walked Betty home from school every day for the stretch of the early 1930's when he lived in Appleton, because her house was on his street. At its outset I could not have told you if there were five or six flagraisers in that photograph. The Japanese had installed more than 750 blockhouses and pillboxes around the island: little igloos of rounded concrete, reinforced with steel rods to make them virtually impervious even to artillery rounds.

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Book Review: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (by James Bradley with Ron Powers) : AH

flags of our fathers book

These stories, chronicling the time the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima enlisted, their training, and the landing and subsequent struggle, fill me with awe. The six flag raisers were all young men, ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-four. It is the story of the difference between truth and myth, the meaning of being a hero, and the essence of the human experience of war. I'd like to tell you, I said, a little about them now. Only two of them walked off this island. Look closely at Franklin's hands, I asked the silent crowd in front of me. I glanced toward the frieze on the monument, a rendering of the photo's image.

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Flags of Our Fathers Summary & Study Guide

flags of our fathers book

We squeezed our way inside. Confederate Battle Flag Essay 492 Words 2 Pages Honestly, no I do not believe that the confederate battle flag is a symbol of racism or hatred. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. All in all, the six young men included were John Bradley, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and Mike Strank. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag. But he knew nothing about how the other men in the photo had lived their lives. I had a little to do with raising the American flag and it was the happiest moment of my life.

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Flags Of Our Fathers Summary

flags of our fathers book

I think I'll have to read the book myself now. These stories, from the time the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima enlisted, their training, and the landing and subsequent struggle, fill me with awe. Many of their smashed white carcasses still stood, like skeletons of animals half a century dead, at intervals along the strand. We could see that the machine-gun muzzle still protruding through its firing slit was bent—probably from overheating as it killed American boys. And so they are also a representative picture of Iwo Jima. Conquering that island was thought to be strategic in driving back Japanese aggression. Harlon's back is to the camera and for almost two years this figure was misidentified.

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Flags of Our Fathers

flags of our fathers book

I had no idea that the flag was raised — in pretty tranquil circumstances — after a few days of the battle, but that the fighting continued to rage on for a total of 36 days. In Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley draws on those documents to retrace the lives of his father and the men of Easy Company. The Pima Indian from Arizona. Behind me, I could hear the hoarse sobs coming from my brother Joe. And we would never have known it was Harlon if a certain stranger had not walked into the family cotton field in south Texas and told them that he had seen their son Harlon put that pole in the ground. The other two men battled on uninjured until the island was conquered.

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Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

flags of our fathers book

Very minimal wear and tear. Japan knew that the importance of defending Iwo Jima as its loss would facilitate American air raids against Japanese Home Islands. Now the son of one of the flagraisers has written a powerful account of six very different young men who came together in a moment that will live forever. A photographer captured the flag raising with his camera. One was carried off with shrapnel embedded up and down his side. On the cavern wall were markers that corresponded to the elevations of the sloping beaches. However Imperial Japanese Navy had already lost almost all of its power and could not prevent U.

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Flags of Our Fathers by Michael R. French

flags of our fathers book

Later, back in the United States, Ira was hailed as a hero but he didn't see it that way. Read an Excerpt Chapter One Sacred Ground The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know. Sixteen miles of tunnels connecting fifteen hundred man-made caverns. One hundred thousand men battled one another here for over a month, making this one of the most intense and closely fought battles of any war. For two of them, the adulation was shattering. My young father and his five comrades were typical of these kids. Read more about the condition Very Good: A book that does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition.

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flags of our fathers book

A letter written by my father to his folks just three days after the flagraising. An oddly out-of-place feeling now seized me: I was so glad to be up here! Part of our mission here was to embed this plaque in the rough rocky soil. Through these documents, he then discovers that his father was one of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima and goes on a search to find out as much as he possibly can about the other five flag raisers. The wind blew through our hair. Had they known one another before that moment or were they strangers, united by a common duty? As some twenty young Marines and older officers milled around us, we Bradleys began to take pictures of one another. And after climbing through a landscape of hell itself, they raised a flag.

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