Just finished reading the book "FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS" by James Bradley. What a great book! James Bradley's father, John Bradley, was one of the six flag raisers on Iwo Jima. The book chronicles the lives of all six flag raisers from their early childhood up to that fateful day when they gather to raise the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima. James Bradley's father was a Navy corpman who aided the Marines as they fought and climbed the Japanese held Mt. Suribachi. Bradley does an excellent job capturing the personalities of each flag raiser and what affect this event would have on their lives. Using first person accounts of those who fought on Iwo Jima add to the realism of how the Marines struggled and fought for every inch of ground as they made their way across the island. This book is a great tribute to the brave men of the Marine Corps and their miraculous accomplishment in succesfully taking the overwhelmingly Japanese fortified island of Iwo Jima. Its my opinion that this is the "Saving Private Ryan" of books. Highly recommended.

By Dana Eugene Creasy (Deecee322) on Unrecorded Date:

James was a guest on one of The History Channel shows recently and the interesting thing he said was that his father *never* discussed his War Two service, nor talked about Suribachi. He had to learn most of his information by prying it out of him, other relatives and outside research. Interesting, how so many of our older veterans make "so little" out of their contributions, yet so many who went into political life often tout their experiences. I think a lot of it has to do with the experiences they saw and how it indelibly marked them. A friend of my mothers was in the unit that liberated Dachau, as an interpreter, and never wanted to talk about it, as if just remembering it would bring pain and suffering back, not just for them, but for the victims, too. Makes me think of that quote, "Most men live lives of quiet desparation..."