Flags of Our Fathers (Taschenbuch)

Written by the son of one flag-raising Marine, this amazing story should be read by everyone. It tells a tale of heroism, horrible circumstances, and the lasting consequences of an unexpected event in a compelling, unforgettable way. This book rivals All Quiet on the Western Front for its revealing insights into the nature of war, comradeship, and courage.

To set the stage, Iwo Jima was the first Japanese soil the Marines invaded. The Emperor had issued orders that the ground was to be defended to the last man. Iwo Jima was filled with tunnels that harbored over 20,000 Japanese troops who could shoot from relative safety while Americans were out in the open. The tunnel system was so extensive that Marines would literally be kidnapped while standing next to their buddies, and no one would know where they had gone. Rocks would suddenly open up to reveal mortars.

Tough fighting went on for days. The Marines lost 7,000 dead and had another 15,000 or more wounded out of 70,000 men. Ironically, the worst of the fighting came after the flag photograph, and three of the six Marines in the photograph died in this later action.

As tough as Iwo Jima was, living with the aftermath of the photograph was even harder in many ways. Two of the three survivors had their lives deeply affected in negative ways. The story of all three riveted me more than anything I have read in years.

I read fairly few books about war, but I cannot recommend this book enough to you. As Americans we owe it to those who fought in this battle to remember what actually happened and what the repercussions are. You will be moved at a deeper level than you can possibly imagine by this outstanding book.

Seriously, five stars are just too few for a monumental book like this one. This book is an instant classic that should live for all time!

This book works extremely well at several levels. First, it is the first-person story behind one of the most famous battle photographs of world war two, the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. It proceeds to tell us the poignant story of the six men in the photograph and their families from the families' recollections. It also tells us of the tragedies and later lives of each of the three surviving Marines, only one of whom survived to live what we could describe as a normal life. It also gives us insight into what these men were beyond the headlines, the parades, and the hyperbole, and what participation in the murderous military campaign in the South Pacific and the later hoopla meant to them, their families and to the rest of their lives.

Finally, it is an excellent, first-person, man on the ground kind of description of the day to day battle on Iwo Jima, which was much harder fought and much more bloody than even the military expected it would be. One stands in awe of this work based on the simple fact that it has been written fifty years after the fact, and yet is clearly the book one recognizes to be the definitive book on a particular subject. From here on, no one who considers himself or herself a student of the Second World War in the South Pacific against the Japanese can feel fully educated or properly informed about the battle for Iwo Jima and its aftermath until they've read "Flags Of Our Fathers". This is history come alive, made real, relevant, still timely and accessible. This is a book for everyone's history book shelves. Read it now, and savor it forever.