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Six men took their place among the pantheon of American heroes when they raised Old Glory atop the island of Iwo Jima. The photograph taken there embodied American courage and patriotism, but it also tended to disembody the men in the picture until they no longer seem like real people. James Bradley's Flags of Our Fathers (Bantam Doubleday Dell 2000) not only gives a gripping account of the battle of Iwo Jima, but also adds a bit more form to those faceless heroes. His father, John "Doc" Bradley, was the last of the six flag raisers to die. During his lifetime, he tried to avoid the fame that accompanied the photograph. He never discussed the battle with his family and pretended to be vacationing in Canada in order to avoid phone calls from reporters. After his death, his family found boxes of memorabilia from the battle, piquing the interest of son James, who began to investigate the lives of the six and ended up writing a book. Considering the natural constraints inherent in profiling six relatively obscure men who are no longer living, Bradley manages to elevate the men past the point of caricature and give a well-rounded view of each man's life from childhood to Iwo Jima and beyond.
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