Book report: Flags of Our Fathers
The raising of the flag was the result of one the most gruesome battles in the Pacific Ocean during the World War II with numerous killed and injured soldiers. The five Marines, Rene Gagnon, Mike Strank, Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley and Harlon Block and one Navy Corps representative John Bradley became the main characters of both life and fiction events. Not all of the heroes survived the battle – Ira Hayes, Harlon Block and Franklin Sousley fell. All of them fought courageously and saved many lives. Strank, for example, being a Sergeant refused to proceed further, saying that the soldiers should be back to their homes. John Bradley was the one to be in charge of first aid supplies to Easy Company.
The story is told from the perspective of John’s son, James who by chance discovered Bradley’s senior letter where it was written that the raising of the flag was the happiest moment in his life. Having made a profound research James Bradley wrote ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ which immediately became the bestselling book and six years later the film produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Clint Eastwood was created.
This history novel is rather difficult to read especially knowing that the described events happened in reality, but the book is definitely worth to plunge into for those who is willing to realize why our freedom is so valuable and in the cost of what it is gained.
Works cited
James Bradley with Ron Powers. ‘Flags of Our Fathers’. New York: Bantam Books, 2000.
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