I recently read "Flags of Our Fathers," by James Bradley. Among other things it
discussess s the power that a photographic image can possess.
The photo, of course, is Joe Rosenthal's shot of the raising of the US flag on
Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, during the bloodiest battle of WW II. It's written by
the son of one of the flag raisers, and discusses each of the men in the photo,
before, during and after the event. It also tells how the photo came about, and
why it is not what most people believe it to be. The photo shows the second flag
raising, after the Marine Corps decided to preserve the original flag as a
historic relic. Wild jubilation from the troops below and the ships at sea
followed the first flag raising, but almost no one noticed or cared when the
replacement flag went up. The men were not under fire at the time the photo was
taken, despite what many believe. Rosenthal almost didn't take it, then he
almost missed it. He was so certain that the shot would not come to anything,
that he later had the men pose around the flag pole, with other marines who were
around. When he heard that the AP would print his shot, he assumed that they
meant the posed group photo, making comments that later caused some to claim the
flag raising shot was posed, which it was not. Bradley also discusses the impact
the photo had on the country at the time, and the impact it had on the lives of
the flag raisers who survived long enough to be aware of it (three of the six
died on Iwo Jima shortly after the photo was taken). It has also had a great
impact on the image of the US Marine Corps, serving as a lasting symbol of valor
in battle.
The book is as much a biography of the photo as a biography of the flag raisers.
A must read for ex-marines, like me, but also quite an interesting read for
anyone interested in WW II or photography and its impact on society.
Dan
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Daniel J. Matyola mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Stanley, Powers & Matyola mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Suite203, 1170 US Highway 22 East http://danmatyola.com
Bridgewater, NJ 08807 (908)725-3322 fax: (908)707-0399
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