There's a message at the heart
of Flags of Our Fathers
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by Leon Fisher, Unknown News
Feb. 12, 2007
Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers has succeeded in not only showing
the savage and brutal fighting on Iwo Jima, the most horrific battle
fought during the war in the Pacific, but the toll it would take on the
three surviving marines who took part in the historic flag raising.
Haunted, the three men try, each in his own way to deal with the horror
they experienced on the battlefield, and then the celebrity placed upon
them by high-ranking officers of the armed forces and Washington
politicians.
The flag raising, the second flag raising, that is, was caught on
camera by photographer Joe Rosenthal. It was an image which would
immortalize the Marines who fought the battle, and as
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a consequence,
breathe new life into a war effort, which up to that point losing support
from a war weary public. Eastwood does a good job showing the
exploitation of these three survivors, who become nothing more than
living posters for the 'purchase war bonds' campaign, to replenish a depleted
treasury and prop up a devalued dollar.
One of the three heroes, as the
the press and politicians refer to them, is Ira Hayes, an American
Indian. Hayes, depressed by the violent deaths of most of his friends
and fellow marines on Iwo, cannot adjust to life in the spotlight.
Having survived one battle, Hayes must fight another against prejudice
and bigotry, which rears its ugly head even from those who feign to
honor him. He turns to alcohol to block out the demons which torture
him, eventually fading into obscurity and a lonely death.
The other two
survivors would fare better. John Bradley would return to private life,
marry, and raise a family. He would remain low key, avoiding interviews
or appearances. Like most combat veterans, he did not want to talk about
it.
Rene Gagnon, on the other hand, relished his celebrity status, but
when the war ended, so did his time in the spotlight. The only work he
was able to get was that of a janitor.
This movie clearly
illustrates the dishonesty and contempt with which the political
structure in Washington and its wealthy backers hold the common man, using him to
do their dirty work for them. It is obvious to the viewer, and Eastwood
makes it crystal clear, that the only sacrifice being made on the part
of the Senators, Generals, and businessmen -- drinking martinis at
posh dinner parties accompanied by their elegantly dressed wives -- is to
mouth a few insincere words to men they would normally have taking out
their garbage or shining their shoes.
This powerful movie leaves me with
this thought: War, if the rich and powerful were forced to fight the
battles in what they start, would abruptly end.
© by the author.
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This movie clearly
illustrates the dishonesty and contempt with which the political
structure in Washington and its wealthy backers hold the common man, using him to
do their dirty work for them.
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