Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley

            Flags of our Fathers, by James Bradley, is a non-fiction tale about the flag-raising at Iwo Jima during World War II. The story is written from the perspective of one of the flag raiser’s son (the author). James Bradley, son of John Bradley, went to each of the Iwo Jima survivors and had detailed interviews with them in order to come up with this accurate piece of lit. The physical descriptions of the environment and the emotions of the soldiers are phenomenal. You receive actual quotes from them which make it seem a lot more real. As a World War II history lover, I appreciate the inside view and personal perspective this book brings. This story talks of the great accomplishments on Iwo Jima as well as the unfortunate tragedies. As John Bradley himself says in the story, “The real heroes are the ones who never made it back.”

            The main point of the story was to bring to light all the experiences of the wonders of the Iwo Jima flag-raising. The highlighted theme would be strongly related to John Bradley’s most famous above quote. Heroes are not defined by accomplishments, but by their sacrifices. Many elements come into play to back up that theme. One element is imagery. James Bradley did an excellent job of providing visual information about the volcanic island of Iwo Jima. On the island, the ground is all made of volcanic ash and the Japanese used it to dig tunnels and caverns underground all throughout the island with holes all around so they could pop out at any time. On several occasions they would sneak out and grab hostages to take underground into the caverns to be tortured. John Bradley even knew of such a soldier. He eventually died. This was part of the sacrifice he made joining the military is that giving your life for the good of your country is an honor. This was in accord with the perspective of the interviewed survivors and supports the acclaimed central theme.

            Overall, I found the book to be quite fascinating. A great deal of it proved to be a bit tedious but some of the explanations of the practical hour-by-hour nights on Iwo Jima were incredible and the fact that he was able to interview the actual flag-raisers was impressive and made the work that much more interesting. Even the actual battles were detail filled. Some nights they would be sleeping and get fired on by the Japanese out of nowhere. It was incredibly precarious situation on the island; not to mention countless bombing and mines placed on the island. It was a long strive to the top of the mountain and this work does a great job of putting you into the mindset of the soldiers who lived it. Each one of the characters had a very different background and all the information overload can leave you a bit confused; however, it is a fascinating read nonetheless.