Flags of Our Fathers – On 23 February 1945, five days into the campaign, which would last another bloody five weeks, to take Iwo Jima from Japanese control, two flags were raised on Mount Suribachi; during the raising of the second flag, a photograph was taken of six men hoisting Old Glory. The original flag had been taken down as a souvenir for a congressman. (According to the official website of the Iwo Jima Memorial, the second flag replaced the first because it was bigger, more visible). The photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal of the raising of the second flag became a famous icon.

Of the six men who raised the second flag, three survived the battle and were brought back to the US, treated as heroes, to sell war bonds. (The three who died were Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank, whose stories are briefly recounted. Those who raised the first flag went officially unrecognized and became a source of confusion and embarrassment to government officials).

The American public had become disenchanted with the long war, and the depleted US Treasury needed funds to continue the effort to defeat the Japanese and Germans. John “Doc” Bradley, a Navy corpsman (played by Ryan Phillippe); Ira Hayes, a Marine PFC and Pima Indian; and Rene Gagnon, another Marine, were uncomfortable in their celebrated roles away from their combat unit. Hayes, especially, struggling with discrimination and sobriety, quit the tour, requesting to be returned to the battle front, but the war ended. He died ten years later of exposure in Arizona. Gagnon died in 1974 after a disappointing life as a janitor. Bradley, who became the owner of a mortuary in Wisconsin, died in 1994. Clint Eastwood’s film relates the story of these three men based on Bradley’s son James Bradley’s book.

My father had been a paratrooper with both the 82^nd and the 101^st Airborne in World War II and Korea; he never told me about his experiences in either conflict. Only after his death did I find out he had been awarded two silver stars for valor. As this movie points out, the media and the politicians create heroes for a public that needs them to feel patriotic and believe that wars are worth fighting.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Patrick Ivers can be reached via e-mail at .