Finished

I have finished Flags Of Our Fathers. The thing that really sticks out as a common theme throughout the book is that the marines involved in the battle of Iwo Jima had a common view of their role there. Most people would agree that what they did was heroic. They on the other hand seem to believe that they were not heroes. They say they did what they had to do. They say the only thing that kept them moving forward was the presence of their buddies. They took care of each other. They had too.

Isn't common view of a hero someone who does the extraordinary in the face of certain disaster? Maybe not. Maybe a hero is an ordinary person who is not afraid to the ordinary things that have to be done. Maybe it is as simple as that. The boys on Iwo Jima didn't do what they did because they wanted to. They did it because they had too. They didn't back away from the thing they had to do. For this they are heroes. Thanks to all of them!