Flags of Our Fathers

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Friday, October 20, the movie Flags of Our Father’s is being released. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

I’ve been reading the book "Flags of Our Fathers, by James Bradley, the son of one of the flag raisers, and it’s very good. Two of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima were devote Catholics.

Also, I got to hear James Bradley on the Don Imus show, last week. He spoke about the making of the movie, and Clint Eastwood. I never knew Eastwood was so talented! He did the score for the movie, as I found out, he’s done for most of his movies.

The movie was filmed in Iceland, being it’s the only place they could find that had black stony shoreline, that was remote.

Iwo Jima is a WWII shrine and it was not possible to film the picture there.

Jim
 
I read the book last year and am eagerly awaiting seeing the movie. An uncle (on my mother’s side) was on Iwo Jima and an uncle (on my father’s side) was at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Neither would talk about their experience - just like the book said.
 
I’m also looking forward to seeing it. I know the author is very pleased with it.
 
Another good book by the same author, James Bradley, which I’m listening to now on audio is, “Flyboys.” This has nothing to do with the current movie with the same title.

Flyboys is about the US air assault on the island, Chichi Jima(one of the main islands off the coast of Japan) which was going on the same time as the battle of Iwo Jima.

Chichi Jima was where the Japanese had their major radar and radio communications setup for the Pacific. It’s was the major defense tracking and warning station for the Japanese homeland, and from there, they could track US naval movements in most of that area of the Pacific. They were able to monitor the US naval movements prior to the battle of Midway.

The American air assault was extremely dangerous. The island is mostly mountains, where the US planes had to fligh into a U-shaped bowl, which made it easy for the Japanese to shoot down. Also, there were no beaches where an amphibius landing could be made. It was defended by 22,000 Japanese, and heavily fortified with anti-aircraft guns. If the US would’ve tried to take this island with ground troops, the Battle of Iwo Jima would’ve looked like a day in the park by comparison. The bombing campaign resulted in many American deaths. Eight American pilots were captured and beheaded. Two of the Americans bodies were subjected to cannibalism by the Japanese officers.

One pilot who herorically flew his burning plane over the island to drop his bombs before crashing into the sea, was George H.W. Bush, our 41st president. He was floating in a one man raft when a sub peroscope came to the surface. He thought it was a Japanese sub, and feared he was about to be captured. Instead it was a US sub, which rescued him.

I can see a movie about this campaign coming. The book is a good read.

Jim
 
Flags of Our Fathers is a great book. I got teary-eyed at the end when Jack passed away at 70. The flag-raisers (and all the American soldiers in world war two) are my heros and I think they were the greatest generation.

Its cool that all of the flag-raisers were Christian, and several were Catholic.

My grandfather was a marine who served in the Pacific. He doesn’t talk much about his expieriences. I think he saw a lot of the same stuff the guys on Iwo Jima did.
 
I was very fortunate that my father did a very good job in making me understand the sacrifices his generation did for mine. Our block had fourteen homes on it. Our block had fourteen WWII vets - they never spoke of their experiences but they did instill patriotism into my generation so that when Vietnam came, those of us who served followed in the footsteps of our fathers. I went into the Navy, others into the Army and the Marines.

The national WWII museum is in New Orleans. It is a magnificent museum. The sidewalks surrounding the museum are made of brick. Each brick is inscribed with the name of the service member, his branch of service, his theatre of operation, and the dates of his life. I bought one to honor my father.

WWII vets are getting rarer and rarer. From all accounts I have read, this movie is an homage to them. I can’t wait to see it.
 
I notice there have been many shows about Iwo Jima on TV this week. I assume it’s in anticipation of the release of the movie.
 
I love history and history-based film but I’m passing on this one. I don’t care how good it is, Clint Eastwood has proven himself to be a prime marketeer for the Culture of Death with his “profoundly sympathetic and ultimately affirmative view of euthanasia” in his previous film Million Dollar Baby: decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/milliondollarbaby.html
 
I just got through reading the book and loved it.
I wonder if the Christain Values of the Flag raisers will be lost in the Movie.
 
Well I’ve just come from seeing the movie. Having lots of knowledge about the book and the author, the movie was easy to for me to understand. The graphic footage was excellent!

That being said, for some one not familiar with the book, the it might be more difficult. The screen play didn’t do a good job connecting the movie with the author of the book, who is actually suppose to be narating the accounts of his book. I can see it being a somewhat confusing for people not familiar with the story.

In all, it’s a good movie and there were many fellow Marines present.

I’ll definately be buying the DVD when it come’s out.

Jim
USMC 1970-72
 
I saw the movie today. It was very good. The book was better, but the movie was still of high quality. It did a good job honoring our heroic soldiers who fought in WWII.
 
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