Flags of Our Fathers Clint Eastwood

"One of the most famous photographs in history was taken by Joe Rosenthal at the battle of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War. The image of six Marines raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi has been reprinted countless times, and has become an enduring symbol of American heroism. But while almost everyone has seen the photo, few Americans really understood what it represented, and fewer still knew who the men in the photo were.

Writer James Bradley knew that his father, John "Doc" Bradley, had served in World War 2, and had long heard rumors that "Doc" had been some sort of war hero. But his father never wanted to talk about his war experiences, and refused to answer questions about the war. Only after John Bradley's death did James learn that his father had received the Navy Cross for valor and had been one of the men who raised the American flag in the iconic photo from Iwo Jima. This discovery led James Bradley to seek out veterans who'd fought at Iwo Jima and ask them about what happened, and to do some research on the other five men who'd appeared in the photo.

The flag raisers represented a cross section of America. There was Marine Sgt. Mike Strank (Barry Pepper) from Western Pennsylvania, Marine Private Harlon Block (Benjamin Walker) from South Texas, Marine Pvt. Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) an Arizona Indian, Marine Pvt. Franklin Sousley (Joseph Cross) from Kentucky, Marine Pvt. Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) of New Hampshire and Navy Medical Corpsman John "Doc" Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) from Wisconsin.

James Bradley found that much of what the public "knew" about the photo and the battle was erroneous. Most Americans thought the flag was raised at the end of the battle, after the U.S. Marines had defeated the Japanese. In reality, the flag was hoisted on the 55th day of a 35 day battle, and three of the Americans who raised the flag would be dead before the battle ended.

The island of Iwo Jima was deemed an important target by the U.S. War Department...