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Summary: CONGRESS SHOULD SEND A COPY TO EVERY CITIZEN
Review: This book should be compulsory ready for every citizen in the United States. It shows what a single minded group can do on behalf of their nation, it is a series of deeds that should never be forgotten. Will you ever see their type again ? I would have liked to spend an hour with Bradley Snr - his thoughts on the book would make a great conversation.
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Summary: A tour of compassion, heroism & gut wrenching realism...
Review: By far the finest detailed description of the battle of Iwo Jima and the men who made it happen. The real surprise is the story behind the six men, the flag they raised and their lives. A tribute to all the heroes of W.W.II, the ones who came back and especially the ones that didn't. FLAGS should be a must read for every high school student in the USA.
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Summary: Cometh the hour, cometh the men........
Review: James Bradley's extraordinary book is a moving tribute to the American Marines who took Iwo Jima in WW2 against unbelievable odds. He highlights the circumstances surronding, and personalizes, the six men who were photographed raising the stars and stripes on the island's highest peak : capturing for all time one of the century's most famous images. One of the flagraisers was the author's father. I finished this historical masterpiece on this Xmas morning with, besides a sorrowful tear, a deep sense of what comradeship, love, sacrifice and heroism and honour is all about. Hail the heroes of Iwo Jima, hail the author for bringing to fruition their incredible story and hail to the indomitable man he can be so proud to call "Dad" - since in the Bard's words "his life was gentle; and the elements so mix'd in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man !" Indeed.
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Summary: I was crying by the second page...
Review: I have spent the last year immersed in gripping non-fiction accounts of individual acts of bravery and endurance. This book takes it to a new level. It does not tell the story of one man climbing a mountain or crossing through Antartica (or any number of other incredible but inconsequential feats). It is a story of many men. United. And fighting for a cause as important as any - freedom. Without the ultimate sacrifice of these Marine patriots, we would likely be speaking Japanese today. I'll never look at a Marine again without feeling immense gratitude. Their bravery cannot be comprehended by those of us whose jobs require the ordinary sacrifices of traffic and too few sick days. On Iwo Jima, these men spent a month in a hell we cannot imagine; yet even when badly wounded, they chose to keep fighting to support their buddies. They charged forward into certain death without concern for self. They displayed a level of dedication that the Japanese felt certain the 'individualistic' Americans lacked. We all in debt to James Bradley for bringing this book to us.
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Summary: Realities, Myths, and the Conflicts of Honor
Review: A superbly written and tightly focused blend of compassion and raw violence of the battlefield involving six individuals that came together in a moment in time to participate in the greatest photo ever taken. Shows that the survivors of earlier wars share the same ghosts and nightmares as the more publicized Vietnam Veterans. They just coped with them differently or often simply ignored them until it didn't matter. Three of the six were lost before the battle was over and of the three that returned only one (the Navy Corpsman and authors father) was able to build a relatively normal life. The author does an excellent job of letting the reader share the perception of the survivors themselves. That they were no more or less the hero than the thousands of other Marines and Navy Corpsmen that simply "did what was expected" or as Admiral Nimitz shared after the battle and is quoted on the memorial at Arlington...UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE. Caution: If you're uncomfortable with reading about the realities of battlefield violence you'll have a hard time with this one.
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Summary: Best Ever
Review: I will go one step further than some of the other reviews. This is the best book I WILL ever read. If there is only one book that you read in your lifetime, please let it be this one.
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Summary: Echoes of our Fathers
Review: James Bradley's fine book wakened old memories that hit close to home for me. I grew up wearing my father's Marine Corps shirts and playing with my plastic Iwo Jima playset, which I received as a Christmas present. Although he never spoke at all about his combat experiences, his service in the Marines and on Iwo Jima were clearly the defining moments of his life. Like James Bradley, I learned many things about my father's service on Iwo Jima long after his death. Flags of Our Fathers filled in many missing pieces for me and gave me a much deeper appreciation of the horrors that my father experienced as an 18-year-old on Iwo Jima. I also have a better understanding of the cultural influences that shaped his life and made him who he was. For some reason, much of the literary, film and media focus has spotlighted the European Theatre, with the notable exception of A Thin Red Line. Bradley's compelling description of the real war in Iwo Jima is a welcome addition to complement such works as Citizen Soldier and D-Day.
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Summary: Greatly enjoyed it!!!
Review: Thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII history. An amazing story of what average young men from across America accomplished in the war and the incredible suffering they experienced. I had seen the picture of the flag raising many times but knowing the story behind it makes it all that more impressive. A very personal statement of how these young men handled the horror of the battle during and after their return home. Great book!
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Summary: Superb!
Review: One of the finest testimonies to courage, commitment, generosity, psychological maturity, loyalty, fraternity---and faith---that I've read in a long time. FLAGS has given me a renewed understanding, respect and love for my own father and five uncles who served four years in combat all over Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific during World War II. Since reading the book, I've given several copies away and will make it required reading for a seminary course I'll be teaching in the spring for men preparing for the priesthood.
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Summary: A son searching for his father
Review: The beauty in this book comes not from the wonderfully illuminated illustrations of courage and sacrifice of John Bradley, the 5 other flag raisers and all those who served along side them, it comes from the quest of a son searching for his father. James Bradley's quest for the father he didn't understand takes him on a circuitous route of national archives, WWII reunion groups, forgotten friends and relatives scattered about the country. It took him among other places to Kentucky, Texas, Arizona and even Iwo Jima itself only to discover what he'd known all along; his father was exactly who he appeared to be. The photographic moment that brought to a crescendo the emotions of a nation starved for victory was nothing more than "walking to the mailbox" for the boys who were there. For those of us whose fathers served in WWII, James Bradley's maniacal quest for his father is something to envy. This book is the ultimate tribute to a father.
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