I AM DONE

48 pages

Well this is my last post for this book. I have really enjoyed it! The chapters of 16-20 were just a little boring to me. I could tell that Rene, Ira, and Jack didn't really like the fame and attention they were getting, and i wouldnt either. I know the author put these chapters here for a reason but i just didn't like how they were honored as better marines than the others. They thought the same way too. But it sure was an outstanding book!

It is know James Bradley telling the story in 1st person. A week before Christmas in 1954, Ira is arrested (51st time) again for being drunk and disorderly. One month later, he was found dead in the snow after a fight. He was under a lot of stress from his instant fame. James Bradley believes that "his alcoholism was caused by what would today be diagnosed as posttraumatic stress disorder caused from the battle at Iwo Jima." James Bradley felt a connection with Rene Gagon Jr. because their parents were the only 2 of the 6 flag raisers to have kids. He was a janitor and after Rene's marriage, he was never happy his son always said. His wife was always emotionally abusive. He soon died of a heart attack and was buried in the same cemetery as Ira. God this is terrible! I think the quote "The real heros of Iwo Jima, are the ones who didnt come back" has something to do with their deaths because they survived and don't think of themselves as "hero's." But the constant stress of reporters and news saying that they were heros interfered with them if you know what i mean.

Chapter 20, last chapter, Jack Bradley avoids reunions with his fellow Marines because he thinks he will be a totally different man i guess....? James Bradley never asks Jack about his time in the war because he knows he wont talk about..Jack Bradley dies of a stoke in 1994. Hundred of people come to his funeral and they played a recording of him in an interview, "People refer to us as heroes. We certainly weren't heroes. And I speak for the rest of the guys as well"

The War is over....finally its over

50 pages

Im gonna quickly summarize chapter  16, 17, and 18 because its just about money and everyone celebrating for their "heros" and making statues for them. In my opinion, i read this book to know about Iwo Jima, not how the men became superstars. The Seventh Bond Tour starts and the goal  is $14 billion ($7 billion from companies and $7 billion from individuals). On May 8, the news announces that Germany has surrendered and that Joe Rosenthal has won a Pulitzer Prize for his photo. Ira Hayes starts drinking alot and becomes and alcoholic. This is pretty sad, but i guess he was just under way to much pressure from the news and everything, i understand. But he is usually drunk during his interviews...But throughout the tour, the three Marines travel to all the big cities in the US for honors, interviews and all that other stuff haha. Truthfully i would get annoyed with all the cameras flashing and people bugging me. But the tour finally ends with an amount of $26.3 billion. Jack Bradley goes to Bethesda to get treated for all his leg wounds that he ignored in Iwo Jima.

CHAPTER 17: In July of 1945, Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Josef Stalin plan the use of atomic weapons on Japan to end the war. Jack Bradley and Rene Gagon go on with their lives and make a family.

CHAPTER 18: ugh....boring boring boring. Since the six men are "famous" now. People want to make movies and statues for them. These would be real cool if it was for me! but i wouldnt like constant attention.

The Aftermath of War...Death, Morning, Donations

30 pages

The time changes back to when Jack Bradley returns from the war in Antigo, Wisconsin and marries Elizabeth Van Gorp, his "childhood sweet heart." He owned a funeral home and held many services for the men who died in the war. They had eight kids and James Bradley, the author, was the middle child. They all wanted to know about their dads time in the war but he would never say anything about it. The death of Iggy probably still shocked him. He refuses interviews and always said "the ones that didnt come back are the real hero's."

"In peace, sons bury their fathers.  In war, fathers bury their sons."

Alright, basically chapter 15 is about all the mothers that learn the horrible news that their son has died in battle, including the mothers of Mike Strank, Harlon Block, and Franklin Sousley. The Treasury Department makes a Seventh Bond Tour, which are fund raising trips around the country, where Americans are influenced to donate to the war effort. So President Roosevelt gets the remaining flag raisers to a headquarters in the Pacific to influence them to donate. Later, everyone in the picture is identified except Harlon Block. He is mistaken for Hank Hansen, which Ira knows, but for some reason Ira was ordered to keep it a secret. Near the end of the chapter, President Trumen introduces the three remaining boys to the crowd at Griffith Stadium, where the New York Yankees played against the Washington Senators. This was probably the hardest time for most family's. Like everyone, if i had a son in war that had been killed, I wouldnt get over it for as long as i lived. It is just so sad how many Marines died on Iwo Jima and throughout the war..