I recently read Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima by James Bradley with Ron Powers. The novel I read was adapted for young people by Michael French and published in 2001. The author, James Bradley, intended to retell the lives of the men in the infamous flag raising statue. Among these figures were James Bradley’s father, John Henry Bradley. Since few people knew who these young heroes were that raised the flag, James Bradley was going to make it clear the intention of these men’s lives and their dedication to the United States of America. James Bradley spent four years of his life researching with these six men’s families about what they knew of their relatives’ lives. As time progressed, James Bradley realized that these men all had one thing in common. They were all humble men that fought in the battle at Iwo Jima to defend their lives’ of their families and of those around them. James Bradley was one of eight children. His mother was named Elizabeth Van Gorp. In the beginning of this novel, the author introduced the men and their individual lives before the war. Each man had his life ahead of him. The six flag raisers, John Bradley, Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, and Rene Gagnon, and all young men in America were planning their futures regarding women whom they would marry, what job …show more content…
Iwo Jima was only known to the men as X. On Island X (Iwo Jima), General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Japanese troop commander at Iwo Jima, told his men to “kill ten Americans before you die” (page 67). This was based off of their ruthless “no surrender” tactic. The Fifth Division landed at Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. For some this meant that they would meet their fate, but for others the Japanese were awaiting the Americans in every sector. This meant that the Japanese were even underground with their quarters that held over twenty-two thousand functioning