History in Flags of our Fathers by James - Book Report/Review Example

 Topic: Flags of our Fathers—James Bradley The personal search by James Bradley for his father’s past resulted in the planting of the seed of the mammoth and incredible tree of literature in the form of a landmark book related to another landmark of World War II. According to the author, the book was not written, it just happened as the product of his love for this father. Memories stored in the cardboard boxes opened the treasure related to World War II. Bradley writes, “There, waiting for me, was the mountain the boys had climbed in the midst of a terrible battle half a century earlier. One of them was my father. The mountain was called Suribachi; the island, Iwo Jima.”(3) The photographs and information contained in the boxes invited further research on the eventful happenings on the top of Iwo Jima, which changed the course of war between America and Japan. Information related to the military saga flowed when Bradley pursued his search with flag-raiser’s family members and the book began to take shape. The book is about the victory of the American forces in the Iwo Jima war and the author has crafted the story subjectively and objectively. He has dealt with the emotional world of the persons directly and indirectly involved with the war and the harsh ground realities of the warfronts. The contractual writer of the book is Ron Powers. Author’s approach to writing: James Bradley had the habit of typing out instantly the information that he revived over the telephone and his fingers typed the information received through the ears. That was perfect system to record data of those compelling stories, which otherwise would have been lost in the womb of time. The author conducted about three hundred interviews to gather the research material. It was a patient and spirited task about which the author would be proud because he was talking to the heroes who revealed incredible information. The publication of this book was like the natural birth of a baby, not through cesarean operation. This book was not written tailor-made for the market as such. It contains spontaneous overflow of powerful and loyal feelings of the author, for the sake of his family and for the sake of the nation. Full justice has been made to the historical importance of the novel, from the points of view of subjectivity and objectivity. The facts related to the emotional world of the author and the ground realities of war have been intelligently clubbed. Bradley’s father was a flag-raiser. Viewing the photo of flag-raising was an emotional experience for him. At the realities level, that action was the most decorated action in the history of US. The US forces were positioned at the dangerous spot as the Japanese were entirely underground. Those young defenders were not war veterans but fresh recruits. The author had to encounter the problem with the veterans of Iwo Jima as they were unwilling to reveal much. Those were the men who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their comrades. About Mike Strank, Haron Block and Franklin Sousley, the flag-raisers, the author has made poignant observation that all that they had in their life was only boyhood which they sacrificed at the altar of the honor of the Nation. Bradley writes, “The beauty of The Photograph is that you six were boys of “common virtue.”(537) Paying handsome tribute to the mystic beauty of the miracle captured through the camera, Bradley writes, “ The power of The Photograph flows through past, present, and future.”(537) Paying glowing tributes to his father in a letter he remarks, “Finally, I am happy to report that proceeds from my books are creating scholarships that send American high school students to study in Japan or China. May be these kids who study in your name, will make a difference. May be there will be no more Iwo Jima.”(538)This perhaps is the observation of ultimate beauty in the entire book. American democracy was tested to the hilt and emerged successful with flying colors. Iwo Jima was not yet another World War II battle. The Bond Tour meant much more to America. It exhibited the soul strength of the people. It exhibited an extraordinary bond between the people of America and the American government. Grass-roots democracy was tested to the brink and it emerged eminently successful. World Wars did not refer to valor of the soldiers only. Wars caused immense economic drain to the American Government and it was forced to borrow from the common man of America. The transparency in spending the money collected thus was an important feature of the Bond Tour. The honesty of the government matched with the response of the people. Thus, the overwhelming threat was countered with the matchless cooperation of the people and generations to come will remember the sacrifice of the young soldiers and the contribution of the people, with overwhelming gratitude. That was the future hope for the nation, should such calamities befall on it, God forbid! The month the Marines and their Corpsmen fought on Iwo Jima, was the golden month for the American democracy. It was the symbol of the courage and indomitable will of the American army and the civilians. The fighting continued for 36 perilous days, in an area that was geographically the most difficult one to fight battles. Groping for peace, after the war. This book is a pointer as to how the concept of peace transmitted by one generation influences the next generations. The author, with his family members, visited Iwo Jima for a first hand feel of the spot and must have undergone an experience that was transformational. One humane aspect of the war was how desperately Bradley’s father wanted to forget the war! Bradley writes, “He achieved this peace by willing the past into a cave of silence.”(4) He came home after the war, as a wounded soldier married a girl whom he knew since childhood. He was blessed with eight children, and he never discussed the adventurous war of Iwo Jima or the flag-raising. To his children, he was like any other soldier who performed duties at the war front and they knew vaguely that he was in the famous photograph and was one of those six young, nice boys who made history. He shunned the reporters, avoided reunions, and did not participate in documentaries. His children were told that if a reported called, the standard reply from them should be that their father was fishing in Canada. He was humble about his achievements. “The real heroes of Iwo Jima,” he said once, coming as close as he ever would, “are the guys who didn’t come back.” (5)The peace mission of the author was dear to the heart of the author-son as well. Bradley writes, “John Bradley might have succeeded in taking his story to his grave had we not stumbled upon the cardboard boxes a few days after his death.”(5) Thus, this book did a commendable job of combining the human element with the researched facts related to the war and did justice to the history that was created on February 23, 1945. In a letter to his parents three days after the flag- raising Bradley wrote, “I had a little to do with raising an American flag, and it was the happiest moment of my life.”(6) Bradley also rakes up another important issue relating to the decision to drop atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Iwo Jima ordeal for the Marines/Corpsmen and the heavy casualties suffered and the unwillingness of Japan to surrender, left no choice with President Truman, but to use the atomic weapons. Conclusion This is a story of human attachment and historical reality of World War II. The current combustible younger generation of America, impacted by the materialistic civilization, has important lessons to learn from the sterling qualities of head and heart exhibited by the six young boys during the war. This is a book of true human spirit and contains noble principles the youngsters need to imbibe. The book describes how the emotional world of the countries at war is disturbed and how the psyche of the parents whose young ones are involved in the life and death struggles, is affected. Works Cited Bradley, James (Author), Powers, Ron (Author).Flags of Our Fathers. Bantam; May 30, 2006 Read More