Flags of Our Fathers

I went to watch Flag of Our Fathers yesterday night. It has been showing in Singapore for some time now, finally I had a chance to find time to go watch it. Its sister film, Letters From Iwo Jima, is already showing in Japan.

Watching the film brings back memories of when I visited Iwojima. My first impression of the island was that it was just a piece of rock. The island was small, with two airfields currently in use with the Japanese Self-Defense Force. Both airfields sat on top of a plateau, and the other prominent geographical feature was the hill at the southern end of the island, where the famous flag was planted.



At the top of the hill now are two memorials. The white one is a memorial by the US, and stands at the place where the flag was planted. The other memorial beside it is the one erected by the Japanese. There are other memorials in various parts of the island too.



From the top of the hill, one can see the beach on which the US Marines landed. This scene was shown at the end of the film too, during the credits.



The American Flag is no longer planted on top of the hill. However, just as the US Marines planted an American flag on top of the hill, someone planted a Japanese flag on top of the hill. After all, Iwojima has since been returned to Japan.



The movie had a scene in which an entrance to a tunnel was found. It also showed the insides of the tunnel. Well, I had a chance to visit the tunnels used by the Japanese. They were poorly dug, compared to the ones at Okinawa. The picture below shows one of the entrances leading to the tunnels used as the Japanese HQ. Photography inside the tunnels are prohibited, as these tunnels are also the resting places for Japanese and American soldiers whose bodies have never been found.



There were also tunnels running under the airfield. Climbing into one of them really gave me a taste of how life was like for the Japanese defenders. It was dark, humid, and claustrophobic. Being in there for less than 10 minutes was more than enough. It really makes you wonder how people could have stayed in the tunnels for more than 30 days. Below is a picture of the entrance to one of the tunnels below the airfield.



The movie itself showed how costly an amphibious landing can be, in terms of lives. And it also showed how people never chose to be heroes. Heroes are not special. They are ordinary people who did extraordinary things. And all those who gave their lives for their country are heroes in their own right. It does not matter whether they were Americans or Japanese, they all fought for their countries. The movie showed the American side of the story. The sister film, Letters From Iwo Jima, will show the Japanese side of the story. I am waiting for it to be released in Singapore sometime early next year.

At the end of our visit to Iwojima, we were told to check the soles of our shoes. Nothing was to be brought off the island, for what may look like a stone stucked to your sole may well be someone's bone. The whole island is a big grave, a sacred resting ground for heroes from two nations. May they rest in eternal peace.