FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

I recently read the book by the above title, by James Bradley, which was also made into a movie.  It’s the story of the 6 U.S. Marines who were photographed raising the U.S. Flag on the mountain on Iwo Jima on Feb. 25, 1945.

Iwo Jima Island was only 1.5 miles long but contained airplane runways that were a key in the Pacific battles of WW II.  It was a rocky island with a mountain on the SW end, with no trees and very little cover for soldiers to hid behind.  The Japanese general built an underground cave system connected by 3 levels of tunnels with electricity, ventilated air, plaster walls, meeting rooms,   storage for ammunition, food, and water.  Blockhouses on the surface had 3-foot thick walls with concrete & steel reinforced walls.  It was a fortress. 

With the 1000s of American troops coming, the Japanese did not expect to hold Iwo Jima but planned to inflict heavy casualties to weaken the Americans.  Japanese officers challenged their men to kill at least 10 U.S. soldiers each before dying honorably in battle.  American troops captured the mountain on the 4^th day of fighting a bloody battle that cost about 21,000 Japanese lives and over 26,000 U.S. casualties – the bloodiest U.S. battle since Gettysburg.  When the marines took control of the mountain, they raised a flag.

A few things I learned from the book:  The famous photograph was actually the raising of the 2^nd larger flag, while taking down the first.  The U.S. media focused on the flag-raising as a victory even though the fighting for Iwo Jima continued for another month.  The media attention made the 6 flag-raisers into military heroes.  However, when the 3 survivors returned home months later, they were deeply grieving the loss of so many of their comrades, that most of them refused or were uncomfortable with being a hero. 

John Bradley once told his son, Jim, ”The heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who didn’t come back.”  After returning home to small town, Wisconsin, John, the author’s father, tried to block out the memory of his buddy’s tortured body and struggled with nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat.  In spite of his horrible memories of Iwo Jima, he was able to marry, purchase a funeral home, and raise a family. 

I found Flags of Our Fathers to be a bittersweet story.  It’s the story of the soldiers’ courage, virtue, and victory, but it came at great cost to those who sacrificed for our nation’s freedom.  In recent years, I have been privileged to get to know a few military families.  I came to admire the sacrifices they made to serve our nation, and usually with little recognition or fanfare.  On this Memorial Day, let us pause to salute those who’ve sacrificed for our nation’s freedom!

                                                            With gratitude,

                                                                 Pastor Randy