Flags of Our Fathers
Memories of Flags and of Our Fathers
In James Bradley’s bestselling book Flags Of Our Fathers, Bradley pays homage to his late father John Henry Bradley. John (also nicknamed “Jack” and
“Doc”), was one of six men who raised the American Flag on top of Mount
Suribachi during World War II. Mount Suribachi was located upon the small island of Iwo Jima, Japan. The photo of these heroic flagraisers quickly “became the most recognized, the most reproduced, in the history of photography.” (Bradley pg. 3) In Bradley’s book, he tells the reader why he wrote the book, about the characters in his story, and how the Flag came to mean so much to America and to the flagraisers themselves. James Bradley was the middle son to the last surviving flagraiser on Iwo Jima.
John Henry “Jack” or “Doc” Bradley, (James’ father) was a humble and kind
United States Navy corpsman that died keeping many secrets from his children.
Secrets that would eventually be unlocked for the entire world to read! The bestselling book was eventually even made into a movie by Clint Eastwood. In his quest to pay homage to his heroic father, I feel James wanted to bring to life the people whose faces changed America “for 1/400th of a second.” (Bradley pg. 3) He also wanted to and eventually succeeded in answering and unlocking the unsolved mystery of his silent father’s mark in time. After his father’s death in January 1994, James, his brothers, and his mother we’re rummaging thru a dark closet when they discovered three cardboard boxes.
Much to their surprise, they stumbled across “many photos and documents that
Jack had saved when he was a flagraiser.” (Bradley pg. 5) Of special interest to
James was a letter. “The cancellation indicated it was mailed from Iwo Jima on
February 26, 1945. A letter written by my father to his folks just three days after the flagraising.” “The carefree, reassuring style of his sentences
In James Bradley’s bestselling book Flags Of Our Fathers, Bradley pays homage to his late father John Henry Bradley. John (also nicknamed “Jack” and
“Doc”), was one of six men who raised the American Flag on top of Mount
Suribachi during World War II. Mount Suribachi was located upon the small island of Iwo Jima, Japan. The photo of these heroic flagraisers quickly “became the most recognized, the most reproduced, in the history of photography.” (Bradley pg. 3) In Bradley’s book, he tells the reader why he wrote the book, about the characters in his story, and how the Flag came to mean so much to America and to the flagraisers themselves. James Bradley was the middle son to the last surviving flagraiser on Iwo Jima.
John Henry “Jack” or “Doc” Bradley, (James’ father) was a humble and kind
United States Navy corpsman that died keeping many secrets from his children.
Secrets that would eventually be unlocked for the entire world to read! The bestselling book was eventually even made into a movie by Clint Eastwood. In his quest to pay homage to his heroic father, I feel James wanted to bring to life the people whose faces changed America “for 1/400th of a second.” (Bradley pg. 3) He also wanted to and eventually succeeded in answering and unlocking the unsolved mystery of his silent father’s mark in time. After his father’s death in January 1994, James, his brothers, and his mother we’re rummaging thru a dark closet when they discovered three cardboard boxes.
Much to their surprise, they stumbled across “many photos and documents that
Jack had saved when he was a flagraiser.” (Bradley pg. 5) Of special interest to
James was a letter. “The cancellation indicated it was mailed from Iwo Jima on
February 26, 1945. A letter written by my father to his folks just three days after the flagraising.” “The carefree, reassuring style of his sentences