I mentioned this in a previous video, but I thought I'd drop it here as well: Flags of Our Fathers was made as a docudrama but it is now in the realm of historical fiction. While that War Bond tour happened, in the years since the release of the movie it has become clear that two of those men, Rene Gagnon and John Bradley, did NOT raise the second flag. While Bradley raised the first flag, and Gagnon brought the second flag up to the peak of Mount Suribachi, they are not in the famous Joe Rosenthal photograph. Two other Marines, Harold Schultz and Harold Keller, were misidentified for more than seven decades before the USMC corrected the record. The film predates that revelation. Had he known, Eastwood could have explored the duel narratives of two men who had to pretend their whole lives to be in the photograph (it makes me wonder how much it contributed to Ira's situation), and two men who actually raised the second flag who were forced to take the secret of their involvement to their graves. I think it would have made for an even more compelling film. As it is, Flags of Our Fathers, to put it mildly, reflects an incomplete understanding of the events.
So, as per your question about the flags, both of them are indeed still around. They are housed in the US Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia about 45 minutes south of Washington DC. I haven't been to the museum myself but from what I have heard it is excellent and well worth the visit so if you guys ever come to the Washington DC area definitely make time to visit it.
The Marine Corp Museum has both flags but never have both on display at the same time. The larger, more famous flag is on regular display and have never seen the first, smaller flag. This info is per their docent when I visited back in 2016
A notable feature on Iwo Jima was the volcanic sand. Many marines pinned on the beach discovered to their horror that this stuff collapsed in on itself so fast that it was impossible to dig in for protection. Combat footage shows Marines frantically trying to dig in. I cant imagine what that must have felt like.
The marines who raised the flag on suribachi where on E Company a company who had 300 men when stormed the beach. When the battle ended, between replacements and original Company members only 15 men were left. The friendly fire who killed Mike also killed Harlon Block but before he died he shout "they killed me" , Mike died instantly. Around the time half the marines who rose the flag died , F company was pinned down by enemy fire, a lt called tank support but they replied they could only get there the next day. They did, and when they arrived out of the 200 men F company had at the time of the call, only 5 where able to fight. That was how brutal Iwo Jima was.
In an interesting note. The film "Sand of Iwo Jima" starring legendary actor John Wayne. Actually had Doc Bradley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon play themselves (as flag raisers) in the film.
Hey guys! I'm happy to see you both and enjoy reacting together! It is pretty awesome that you have your dad to watch these movies with, I lost my dad last year. He was a US Army Captain in service for 29 years, we would watch all kinds of historical military movies/shows together. Good to see you both enjoying each others company and comments!
Not many people realise that Clint Eastwood actually composed the music in addition to being the director. I think it's a very powerful musical score too. His son Kyle helped and actually took the lead on the score for the sister film Letters from Iwo Jima.
A small matter of clarification on the comments at 25:23: American Indians have a much lower tolerance for alcohol that other groups of people (ie it takes a lot less for them to get drunk). I don't really know why that is but it is somewhat of a stereotype for people to say "oh the Indians are always drinking and gambling on their reservations." One of the really sad things about this movie is that while it was true when it came out in 2006, now it's more historical fiction than anything else because the Marine Corps has since come out (as recently as 2019) and said that neither Doc Bradley (whose son wrote the book the movie is based on) and nor Rene Gagnon were actually in the photo. The two other Marines who were in it were Harold Schultz and Harold Keller. But while that may be the case the whole point of this movie is that it wasn't putting the flag up that made these guys what we call heroes. It was what they did for each other on the island under fire and not being in the photo doesn't diminish that.
Can’t wait for Letters From Iwo Jima! Such an amazing humanizing film and the film was highly praised by Japanese critics and audiences who applauded Clint Eastwood’s efforts into portraying the Japanese with the rightful respect they deserve. As well with an all-native Japanese cast that truly delivers this film with greatly honoring the defenders of Iwo Jima.
You asked about the flags. They are both on display inside the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia (just outside the front gate of Marine Corps Base Quantico). Also, the Marine Corps announced (in 2016, following an intensive investigation) that Navy Corpsman John Bradley was not in the famous photograph of the second flag raising. It was actually a Marine named Harold Schultz. Both survived the battle, but neither one corrected the error. No one knows why.
Check out Johnny Cash's song, "The Ballad of Ira Hayes". Also: He's an embarrassment to the uniform? Really? After raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi? No. He's still a hero to Marines today.
The story of the second flag raising was modified further in 2019 when it was announced Doc Bradley and Rene Gagnon were not in the second picture. After Gagnon brought the second flag up, he helped take down the first flag and was to the right of the picture. From photos, Bradley appears to have been involved in raising the first flag rather than the second. Two other marines who survived the war are in the picture. Neither claimed credit for raising the second flag.
Sonny, this event in history has special significance to me as my Great Uncle, a 20-year-old Marine Corporal, died on March 1st at the battle of Iwo Jima. He landed with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, on February 19th and fought bravely with his fellow Marines for fourteen days from the time his Regiment landed on Blue Beach 1 until enemy fire claimed his life near Turkey Knob, one of the areas the Marines effectively called “The Meat Grinder”. I often wonder if he even had the chance, in the midst of all his fighting, to see the flag raised over 3 miles away on top of Mt. Suribachi. He enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old and never had the opportunity to marry or start a family. One of his brothers was also a Marine and another brother (my Grandfather) served in the Navy during the war. To this day, I honor and cherish their sacrifice so that I and others of my generation can enjoy the freedom that we have. It is heartwarming to see you and Major Dad enjoying time together in this way. How proud you both must be of each other. Thank you for posting this reaction, Sonny, and please convey to your father my respect for his service to the wonderful country of Denmark. A career in the military can be difficult on any family. God Bless and stay safe.
Sonny nice, to see father and son watch movies together! Great time to do that with my own dad again. Your dad is a millitair officer even more nice to hear his from real perspective of a millitair! I'm dutch myself. Nice to see some Danes
The movie The Outsider is the story of Ira Hayes and is good. It stars Tony Curtis. There is the song The Ballad Of Ira Hayes which is not from this movie. His sad story is well known.
The shows i would LOVE them to watch would be Generation Kill and the Finnish Miniseries named The Unknown Soldier (There is also a movie but the 5 part Miniseries has more content and i feel like its an easier format for them to Film and Edit etc rather then a 3 hour movie). Generation Kill can be found on HBO and The Unknown soldier should be on Netflix&HBO Nordic in Denmark (Im Swedish and Its on both Netflix and HBO Nordic over here so i would assume it would be the same for Denmark)
@@dudermcdudeface3674 Exactly, Flags shows us how disconnected we as a society are to not only the realities of war, but also how ignorantly naive we are to who we deem ‘a hero’. Instead of appreciating the sacrifices that were made, we instead celebrate the survivors and completely ignore what they had gone through, even to the extent of profiting from their service and sacrifice. Instead of acknowledging these guys like they went through hell and lost a lot of buddies, we turn them into celebrities and ignorantly say that they did it to serve country and flag. Just shows that sometimes our troops’ worst enemies are not even on the battlefield, they are the politicians, the bureaucrats, the media, and the naive public that stab them in the back with exploitation and complete disrespect to the guys who didn’t come back, including those who didn’t come back in one piece or the same. Letters is special because it shows us a side of the war that we Americans VERY much overlook and have completely ignored the fact that the Japanese were just as human as we are. Especially with the important message that war is never really about ‘good vs evil’. But rather how both sides express such natures on the battlefield.
Major Dad shouldn't worry about being on these videos, he does a great job! Btw, you *really* need to read the book 'Flags of Our Fathers' by James Bradley, the son of John Bradley. It's emotionally gut-wrenching and is packed with fascinating details. It also depicts the carnage on Iwo Jima to a far more intense degree than the movie does.
I'd love to see a reaction to the Finnish movie Unknown Soldier/Tuntematon Sotilas (2017), about the war between Finland and Russia during WWII. I really think it's one of the greatest war movies I've seen, and it hits closer to home since the fighting wasn't taking place on the other side of the world (I'm Swedish and my maternal grandfather was Finnish and fought in the war). It is quite long though so you would have to treat it more like a miniseries, and I even think there is an extended version that actually comes in the format of a miniseries. I watched the three hour movie version, though I expect I'll look for the miniseries at some point.
Yea the Unknown soldier Miniseries would be a great pick. And it can be found on Netflix here in Sweden (And i assume Finland and Denmark also). And i think the Miniseries would be a better pick for this format since its 5x 1hour episodes so it would be easier for them to watch and edit into videos etc. Also it has a lot of extra content.
There's still a lot of dispute over the duration of the pre-assault bombardment. The Marines had wanted the Navy to shell the island full 10 days; the Navy grudgingly agreed to just 3 days. Post-battle analysis suggested that the bombardment actually achieved very little against the underground complexes, but there's evidence that it did destroy a number of above-ground bunkers and gun positions. It's also worth noting that Iwo Jima was one of the few amphibious assaults where several of the ships providing naval gunfire support were damaged by Japanese shore batteries.
Greyhound, the new Midway. All the old 1950's through 1970s WW2 movies. Ode to Bernie Dunckle. Battle for Sevastopol. There is/are so many greats and suprisingly there are so many that peolple don't review.
You should watch "Tora! Tora! Tora!" for December 7th. Covers the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. Underrated movie. Filmed with both US and Japanese writers, directors, and actors. It even had a lot of input from Akira Kurasawa (who ultimately was replaced as a director, but he still had a lot of influence). Half the movie is in Japanese. It's a really good 'Timeline' movie. *Far* superior to "Pearl Harbor" with Ben Affleck.
What is not talked about that much is how much War Bonds increased in value. People who bought them and sold them at the end of the war typically got 5 times what they paid for them. Now it wasn't like buying Microsoft in the late 1980's but it was a good little chunk of change for some people.
@Jacob Dulac Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima were made as companion films, meant to show both sides of the same battle. They even use some of the same shots and characters in both movies. I am comparing this to Letters, which I think is the better of the Two movies.
Classic film from a great director. If you guys are exploring WW2 films, highly recommend the film “Hacksaw Ridge” directed by Mel Gibson. The film is based on an incredible true story of combat in the Pacific.
LEATHERNECK: It is generally believed to originate from wearing of the "Leather Stock" that went around the neck to protect from sword slashing in the 1800's. Other nicknames include: Devil Dog, and Jarhead.
I'm curious , have either of you heard Johnny Cash's song, "Drunken Ira Hayes"? Actually it's called "The Ballad Of Ira Hayes ". It's on UA-cam. So sad, but tasteful. Here's a link : ua-cam.com/video/oEwSwQtSmDQ/v-deo.html
Have you ever watched THE THIN RED LINE? It might be my favorite war movies of all time. It is more philosophical than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but it portrays the reality of war in such a way that you feel it in your soul.
Hi Guys! If you are watching war videos again, i would be curious if you would react to the movie "We were soldiers". Its a Mel Gibson vietnam era movie, and i havent seen reactions to it yet here, i think it is a great movie.
Harlon blocks mother name was belle block raised in weslaco texas rio grande valley a weslaco panther football player witch the team won the state championship and when ww2 broke out the entire football team entered service for the united states marine corps when harlon passed his mom took it very hard she knew that it was her son who raised the flag even ira hayes came to weslaco tx to tell harlon blocks father that it was his son who raised the flag with him.
What they did to Iggy was absolutely horrific. You can research it and read the description of what they actually did to him if you want but it’s tough to read honestly. He was very young to.
Wind Talkers. With nicholas cage is a great movie. The only known unbroken military code in history or one of the few. The Navajo language. The Japanese had no idea what was said.
wouldn't call it a great movie, its a great story, but the movie depicts the war like everybody is this crazy action hero. It's a terrible movie historically wise based on the incredible contribution native americans made in the war.
It was policy that convoys did not stop on account of the threat of submarines. Rescue MAY come at the hands of a destroyer or, more desirable, one of the large Catalina PBY flying boats.
Another option for pickup, if available, was an American submarine. George Bush, President #41, flew Avengers in WWII and was shot down or had mechanical issues forcing him to ditch. An American sub picked him up but he remained aboard until the sub finished its assigned patrol. If memory serves something like 6-9 weeks later.
It was based on his book, same title. Some of the characters were squished together in Hollywood fashion. The story was pretty close, but the equipment used (US) was very Korea Era. But not a bad film.
Your dad looks like a hard man. As a former marine i'd love to just sit and talk to him for a few hours; probably has some amazing stories to tell... 9:20 thats funny. Our nametapes just had the lastnames, so I served with some of these guys for over 4 years and I still never knew what their first name was lol
Please do 'Black Book' by Paul Verhoeven. Would love to hear what Major Dad thinks of the liberation of Holland by the Canadians. He must have received some personal input from his grand parents and parents.
What amazing thing that the Japanese did was, making this Iwo Jima Campaign from 3 weeks invasion plan into 2 months of bloodbath. Loved your reactions and review of the movie. Hopefully see more war movie reactions with Major Dad!
Love your reactions. I would like to make a couple of suggestions for future reaction vids. Pork Chop Hill starring Gregory Peck set in the Korean War. Hamburger Hill starring Dylan Mcdermott set in the Vietnam War.
The reason why US Marines or Soldiers why sometimes leave the fox hole is first they must ID the enemy because of high level of fratricide among US Marines or Soldiers. In this movie especially happy triggered young Marines. The other reason is you don’t shoot right away, US knew the enemy are always sending probing squad to find out the US positions. Either setting a Mortar attack before a bonsai attack. Mortar directions attacks to knock out their positions, especially if it’s a machine gun...
Can y’all react to actual pacific war footage? It would be interesting to get your take after watching this, the pacific, and taking that knowledge and comparing it to actual footage from the pacific theater. Keep it up!!
I would so de reactions because they seem to be a popular thing to do on YT. The seem to generate a lot of subs. The 2 problems I have with them is it seems everyone does the same content, and most everyone who does them hasn't seen what they are reviewing, but I have seen most all of it, and some of it multiple times. I have made game content, and 3D modeling content. I do think that you 2 are the only ones that have reviewed Flags of or Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. Everyone has watched Saving Private Ryan. Great that WW2 is not dying in history though. Thumbs Up, keep up the good fight. Eldan at Blue Dragon Archery.
Enjoyed your reaction as always. But I'd say, at least for me, that Letters from Iwo Jima is a much more compelling story of the two. Looking forward to that one ✌
The Japanese response to the movie; "Letters From Iwo Jima" was, I thought, very sad! The Japanese people had no idea what the Iwo garrison sacrificed as their government gave them absolutely zero information. If they knew anything at all it was only that the garrison lost and as such was a dishonor to Japan and the Emperor. It was a real eye opener for them.
Harlon block is from weslaco tx my home town Rio grande valley a state championship football player the entire football team of weslaco enlisted in the USMC.
Flags was based on a book by Doc Bradley's son. He only discovered the whole story of his father's participation in the Iwo Jima campaign after his father's death from a heart attack. He interviewed friends of his father's, including René, who did the whole War Bond tour with his. He describes his shock at discovering what his dad went through. As a genealogist, I was wondering how much Major dad has shared with you about his own military experience and about his life. How open has he been about his experiences? Many military men try to separate their family life from their professional life. Does Major dad do that? Would you care to share what that is like? A characteristic of many men I know is that they think their professional lives are of little interest to their children. I would have loved for my dad to talk about his childhood and his working life (i.e. all the parts of his life we were not a part of) before he passed away in 2015. As a family historian I have had to try to piece together a portrait of those aspects of his life from tiny shreds of information. How is it for you?
I read a book about the famous photo and it was truly fascinating. It truly was a miracle photo. The shots on that roll of film after that shot were ruined by exposure to light. The shots preceding that photo were ruined by exposure to salt water. Only that one shot on that roll of film survived. The book traces the history of each man in the shot.
There was even some controversy about the photo. The shot is so artistically balanced and aesthetically pleasing that some people couldn’t believe it was an action shot. Someone asked the photographer “Was that shot of the flag raising posed?” The photographer answered, “yes!” and this, in some people’s mind devalued the shot. However, the famous photo was NOT posed or faked at all. Photographers in the Pacific at that time only shot rolls of film, they did not develop them. They sent the rolls of film they’d shot back to facilities far behind the lines. Photographers often saw their shots the same time the general public did, in Stars & Stripes or American newspapers that made their way to the front lines. The photographer remembered taking the iconic photo but it was literally a snapshot. A motion film photographer was with him and was shooting the flag raising and the grunts weren’t waiting. The still photographer was adjusting his camera and the film photographer said “Hey, they’re doing it!” And the still photographer just pointed and snapped. He recalls being completely unsure if he’d actually shot anything.
The other confusing factor was that there were actually TWO flag-railings. The first, the famous one, happened to raise a flag that was, physically, rather small. Generals on the ships ordered a much larger flag to replace the first. The same photographer accompanied a second group of Marines with, if memory serves, one or two of the same Marines from the first party (at least one died that day after the first flag-raising) and for that second ceremony, the photographer had the Marines pose for a picture after it was done. So, at that time, the photographer didn’t know what had happened with the first shot. When he was asked “Was the flag-raising posed?” he was answering about the SECOND flag raising that HAD a posed shot associated with it.
I believe it may have been something on the order of 6 weeks before the famous shot (Arguably one of the most famous & iconic photographs ever taken!) began to be disseminated and the photographer realized which shot everyone was talking about. In a rather famous (and somewhat cynical) comment, a Marine General, possibly the Commandant, upon viewing the photo, said “That picture GUARANTEES the existence of the Corps for the next hundred years!”
Harlon Block is from Weslaco Texas my home town his mother Bell Harlon was very upset because Harlon was due to come home early before landing on two jima Harlon father did not sent the letter to the Marines to bring Harlon block back home he figured the war would be over soon.
Sjovt du ser den med din far. Så den også med min far i biografen :-) I skulle se "the thin red line" også en god krigs film. Dog lidt mere filosofisk. Hvis I ikke har set Platoon eller Full metal jacket.....så skulle I prøve dem.
Love that your dad is becoming a bit of a regular
Agreed , his comment about being able to slam a phone itself was golden !
I'll look forward to your "Letters from Iwo Jima" reaction. Both movies complement each other, but that one is really the one that makes them special.
I mentioned this in a previous video, but I thought I'd drop it here as well: Flags of Our Fathers was made as a docudrama but it is now in the realm of historical fiction. While that War Bond tour happened, in the years since the release of the movie it has become clear that two of those men, Rene Gagnon and John Bradley, did NOT raise the second flag. While Bradley raised the first flag, and Gagnon brought the second flag up to the peak of Mount Suribachi, they are not in the famous Joe Rosenthal photograph. Two other Marines, Harold Schultz and Harold Keller, were misidentified for more than seven decades before the USMC corrected the record. The film predates that revelation.
Had he known, Eastwood could have explored the duel narratives of two men who had to pretend their whole lives to be in the photograph (it makes me wonder how much it contributed to Ira's situation), and two men who actually raised the second flag who were forced to take the secret of their involvement to their graves. I think it would have made for an even more compelling film. As it is, Flags of Our Fathers, to put it mildly, reflects an incomplete understanding of the events.
I would not be surprised if it was a large part of him drinking himself to death.
Marine here. I've seen the 1st flag raised with my own eyes. It's on display at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia.
Semper Fi
And in Harlingen Texas near the Marine Corps Military School.
The ending of Trumbo when I first saw iti reminded me so much of Flags with the actual photographs of the real people. Even had the same font.
So, as per your question about the flags, both of them are indeed still around. They are housed in the US Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia about 45 minutes south of Washington DC. I haven't been to the museum myself but from what I have heard it is excellent and well worth the visit so if you guys ever come to the Washington DC area definitely make time to visit it.
The Marine Corp Museum has both flags but never have both on display at the same time. The larger, more famous flag is on regular display and have never seen the first, smaller flag. This info is per their docent when I visited back in 2016
A notable feature on Iwo Jima was the volcanic sand. Many marines pinned on the beach discovered to their horror that this stuff collapsed in on itself so fast that it was impossible to dig in for protection. Combat footage shows Marines frantically trying to dig in. I cant imagine what that must have felt like.
The marines who raised the flag on suribachi where on E Company a company who had 300 men when stormed the beach. When the battle ended, between replacements and original Company members only 15 men were left.
The friendly fire who killed Mike also killed Harlon Block but before he died he shout "they killed me" , Mike died instantly.
Around the time half the marines who rose the flag died , F company was pinned down by enemy fire, a lt called tank support but they replied they could only get there the next day. They did, and when they arrived out of the 200 men F company had at the time of the call, only 5 where able to fight.
That was how brutal Iwo Jima was.
Thanks for being our alli and your service. From the 🇺🇸 usa
My grandfather was there. He died 67 years later. I could tell that this time of his life changed him forever and he thought about it often.
Let your dad know we appreciate him as well.
In an interesting note. The film "Sand of Iwo Jima" starring legendary actor John Wayne. Actually had Doc Bradley, Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon play themselves (as flag raisers) in the film.
ua-cam.com/video/q_8BJmRbuxw/v-deo.html
Hey guys! I'm happy to see you both and enjoy reacting together! It is pretty awesome that you have your dad to watch these movies with, I lost my dad last year. He was a US Army Captain in service for 29 years, we would watch all kinds of historical military movies/shows together. Good to see you both enjoying each others company and comments!
We thank you for your dads service as well!
In the book, Doc Bradley describes in some detail what the Japanese did to Iggy, and it's pretty brutal.
Not many people realise that Clint Eastwood actually composed the music in addition to being the director. I think it's a very powerful musical score too. His son Kyle helped and actually took the lead on the score for the sister film Letters from Iwo Jima.
A small matter of clarification on the comments at 25:23: American Indians have a much lower tolerance for alcohol that other groups of people (ie it takes a lot less for them to get drunk). I don't really know why that is but it is somewhat of a stereotype for people to say "oh the Indians are always drinking and gambling on their reservations."
One of the really sad things about this movie is that while it was true when it came out in 2006, now it's more historical fiction than anything else because the Marine Corps has since come out (as recently as 2019) and said that neither Doc Bradley (whose son wrote the book the movie is based on) and nor Rene Gagnon were actually in the photo. The two other Marines who were in it were Harold Schultz and Harold Keller. But while that may be the case the whole point of this movie is that it wasn't putting the flag up that made these guys what we call heroes. It was what they did for each other on the island under fire and not being in the photo doesn't diminish that.
Can’t wait for Letters From Iwo Jima! Such an amazing humanizing film and the film was highly praised by Japanese critics and audiences who applauded Clint Eastwood’s efforts into portraying the Japanese with the rightful respect they deserve. As well with an all-native Japanese cast that truly delivers this film with greatly honoring the defenders of Iwo Jima.
You asked about the flags. They are both on display inside the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia (just outside the front gate of Marine Corps Base Quantico). Also, the Marine Corps announced (in 2016, following an intensive investigation) that Navy Corpsman John Bradley was not in the famous photograph of the second flag raising. It was actually a Marine named Harold Schultz. Both survived the battle, but neither one corrected the error. No one knows why.
Hacksaw Ridge would be a good one to watch. I love watching you guys react to war films/shows. Reminds me of the old days with my dad.
Check out Johnny Cash's song, "The Ballad of Ira Hayes". Also: He's an embarrassment to the uniform? Really? After raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi? No. He's still a hero to Marines today.
The story of the second flag raising was modified further in 2019 when it was announced Doc Bradley and Rene Gagnon were not in the second picture. After Gagnon brought the second flag up, he helped take down the first flag and was to the right of the picture. From photos, Bradley appears to have been involved in raising the first flag rather than the second. Two other marines who survived the war are in the picture. Neither claimed credit for raising the second flag.
l just subscribed, first time here and l love that you actually react and give real commentary, thanks!
Sonny, this event in history has special significance to me as my Great Uncle, a 20-year-old Marine Corporal, died on March 1st at the battle of Iwo Jima. He landed with the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, on February 19th and fought bravely with his fellow Marines for fourteen days from the time his Regiment landed on Blue Beach 1 until enemy fire claimed his life near Turkey Knob, one of the areas the Marines effectively called “The Meat Grinder”. I often wonder if he even had the chance, in the midst of all his fighting, to see the flag raised over 3 miles away on top of Mt. Suribachi. He enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old and never had the opportunity to marry or start a family. One of his brothers was also a Marine and another brother (my Grandfather) served in the Navy during the war. To this day, I honor and cherish their sacrifice so that I and others of my generation can enjoy the freedom that we have. It is heartwarming to see you and Major Dad enjoying time together in this way. How proud you both must be of each other. Thank you for posting this reaction, Sonny, and please convey to your father my respect for his service to the wonderful country of Denmark. A career in the military can be difficult on any family. God Bless and stay safe.
The late great Johnny Cash's song The Ballad of Ira Hayes is about the indigenous American Marine Ira Hayes who is depicted in this movie
Sonny nice, to see father and son watch movies together! Great time to do that with my own dad again. Your dad is a millitair officer even more nice to hear his from real perspective of a millitair! I'm dutch myself. Nice to see some Danes
Can you guys react to Saving Private Ryan and 1917 next?
Major Dad's input on Hacksaw Ridge would be awesome. How does a military man react to an anomaly like Desmond Doss?
I second that !
Both flags are currently on display at the United States Marine Corps museum in Quantico, Virginia.
YAY! Major dad is back!!!!
The movie The Outsider is the story of Ira Hayes and is good. It stars Tony Curtis. There is the song The Ballad Of Ira Hayes which is not from this movie. His sad story is well known.
The shows i would LOVE them to watch would be Generation Kill and the Finnish Miniseries named The Unknown Soldier
(There is also a movie but the 5 part Miniseries has more content and i feel like its an easier format for them to Film and Edit etc rather then a 3 hour movie).
Generation Kill can be found on HBO and The Unknown soldier should be on Netflix&HBO Nordic in Denmark
(Im Swedish and Its on both Netflix and HBO Nordic over here so i would assume it would be the same for Denmark)
An older film but probably one of the best is "A Bridge too Far". The special effects are rather dated but it is an amazing film.
Welcome back Major Dad!
Love the channel in its entirety but you dad is awesome! would love to see more war stuff with him
My dad was too young to serve on Iwo Jima but fought on Okinawa, as well as Korea and Vietnam...
Sorry for so many comments but thanks for explaining "Leathernecks".
I'd say that "Letters" is much better movie than "Flags", but that's just my opinion.
Both better and more interesting, because it's a perspective we (Western audiences) don't often see.
@@dudermcdudeface3674 Exactly, Flags shows us how disconnected we as a society are to not only the realities of war, but also how ignorantly naive we are to who we deem ‘a hero’. Instead of appreciating the sacrifices that were made, we instead celebrate the survivors and completely ignore what they had gone through, even to the extent of profiting from their service and sacrifice. Instead of acknowledging these guys like they went through hell and lost a lot of buddies, we turn them into celebrities and ignorantly say that they did it to serve country and flag. Just shows that sometimes our troops’ worst enemies are not even on the battlefield, they are the politicians, the bureaucrats, the media, and the naive public that stab them in the back with exploitation and complete disrespect to the guys who didn’t come back, including those who didn’t come back in one piece or the same.
Letters is special because it shows us a side of the war that we Americans VERY much overlook and have completely ignored the fact that the Japanese were just as human as we are. Especially with the important message that war is never really about ‘good vs evil’. But rather how both sides express such natures on the battlefield.
Eastwood served in the US Army during Korean Conflict, he served as a lifeguard at Fort Ord, CA.
Love your guys reactions together!
I was hoping that you would get around to this. Love your reactions together!
I think Adam Beach does a great job as Ira in this movie. I enjoyed your reaction a lot.
Major Dad shouldn't worry about being on these videos, he does a great job! Btw, you *really* need to read the book 'Flags of Our Fathers' by James Bradley, the son of John Bradley. It's emotionally gut-wrenching and is packed with fascinating details. It also depicts the carnage on Iwo Jima to a far more intense degree than the movie does.
The flag is on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corp in Triangle, Virginia ( right outside Quantico)...
I'd love to see a reaction to the Finnish movie Unknown Soldier/Tuntematon Sotilas (2017), about the war between Finland and Russia during WWII. I really think it's one of the greatest war movies I've seen, and it hits closer to home since the fighting wasn't taking place on the other side of the world (I'm Swedish and my maternal grandfather was Finnish and fought in the war).
It is quite long though so you would have to treat it more like a miniseries, and I even think there is an extended version that actually comes in the format of a miniseries. I watched the three hour movie version, though I expect I'll look for the miniseries at some point.
Yea the Unknown soldier Miniseries would be a great pick.
And it can be found on Netflix here in Sweden (And i assume Finland and Denmark also).
And i think the Miniseries would be a better pick for this format since its 5x 1hour episodes so it would be easier for them to watch and edit into videos etc.
Also it has a lot of extra content.
Oh cool, didn't realize it was on Netflix
The great raid is another great movie about the pacific theater of war in the Philippines
There's still a lot of dispute over the duration of the pre-assault bombardment. The Marines had wanted the Navy to shell the island full 10 days; the Navy grudgingly agreed to just 3 days. Post-battle analysis suggested that the bombardment actually achieved very little against the underground complexes, but there's evidence that it did destroy a number of above-ground bunkers and gun positions. It's also worth noting that Iwo Jima was one of the few amphibious assaults where several of the ships providing naval gunfire support were damaged by Japanese shore batteries.
Love the videos with your dad.
I have that Star Wars shirt. I also really liked your Pacific segment.
Greyhound, the new Midway. All the old 1950's through 1970s WW2 movies. Ode to Bernie Dunckle. Battle for Sevastopol. There is/are so many greats and suprisingly there are so many that peolple don't review.
Ira suffered severely from Survivors Guilt. Drove him nuts.
You should watch "Tora! Tora! Tora!" for December 7th. Covers the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. Underrated movie. Filmed with both US and Japanese writers, directors, and actors. It even had a lot of input from Akira Kurasawa (who ultimately was replaced as a director, but he still had a lot of influence). Half the movie is in Japanese. It's a really good 'Timeline' movie. *Far* superior to "Pearl Harbor" with Ben Affleck.
What is not talked about that much is how much War Bonds increased in value. People who bought them and sold them at the end of the war typically got 5 times what they paid for them.
Now it wasn't like buying Microsoft in the late 1980's but it was a good little chunk of change for some people.
Letters from Iwo Jima is the much better of these two movies.
What two
@Jacob Dulac Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima were made as companion films, meant to show both sides of the same battle. They even use some of the same shots and characters in both movies. I am comparing this to Letters, which I think is the better of the Two movies.
Classic film from a great director.
If you guys are exploring WW2 films, highly recommend the film
“Hacksaw Ridge”
directed by Mel Gibson.
The film is based on an incredible true story of combat in the Pacific.
LEATHERNECK: It is generally believed to originate from wearing of the "Leather Stock" that went around the neck to protect from sword slashing in the 1800's. Other nicknames include: Devil Dog, and Jarhead.
Love your dad, he's awesome
I'm curious , have either of you heard Johnny Cash's song, "Drunken Ira Hayes"? Actually it's called "The Ballad Of Ira Hayes ". It's on UA-cam. So sad, but tasteful. Here's a link : ua-cam.com/video/oEwSwQtSmDQ/v-deo.html
Have you ever watched THE THIN RED LINE? It might be my favorite war movies of all time. It is more philosophical than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but it portrays the reality of war in such a way that you feel it in your soul.
You guys must watch saving private Ryan eventually
Any chance for you watching some old school WW2 movies? Like A Bridge to Far or Tora Tora Tora?
Hi Guys! If you are watching war videos again, i would be curious if you would react to the movie "We were soldiers". Its a Mel Gibson vietnam era movie, and i havent seen reactions to it yet here, i think it is a great movie.
Harlon blocks mother name was belle block raised in weslaco texas rio grande valley a weslaco panther football player witch the team won the state championship and when ww2 broke out the entire football team entered service for the united states marine corps when harlon passed his mom took it very hard she knew that it was her son who raised the flag even ira hayes came to weslaco tx to tell harlon blocks father that it was his son who raised the flag with him.
You absolutely have to do "We Were Soldiers"...It's a must see...!!!
The real flag from that famous photo is on display at the National Marine Museum in Virginia
Both the first and second flags are there.
Major Dad💜
What they did to Iggy was absolutely horrific. You can research it and read the description of what they actually did to him if you want but it’s tough to read honestly. He was very young to.
Unfortunately it was common conduct for the Japanese.
Iwo Jima is the only battle in the pacific where the Americans suffered more casualties than the Japanese.
Wind Talkers. With nicholas cage is a great movie. The only known unbroken military code in history or one of the few. The Navajo language. The Japanese had no idea what was said.
wouldn't call it a great movie, its a great story, but the movie depicts the war like everybody is this crazy action hero. It's a terrible movie historically wise based on the incredible contribution native americans made in the war.
Windwalkers is terrible imo.
@@Drewe223 It's better than Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
It was policy that convoys did not stop on account of the threat of submarines. Rescue MAY come at the hands of a destroyer or, more desirable, one of the large Catalina PBY flying boats.
Another option for pickup, if available, was an American submarine. George Bush, President #41, flew Avengers in WWII and was shot down or had mechanical issues forcing him to ditch. An American sub picked him up but he remained aboard until the sub finished its assigned patrol. If memory serves something like 6-9 weeks later.
I always wondered what Audie Murphy thought about making To Hell and Back. One can only hope it was at least partially cathartic.
It was based on his book, same title. Some of the characters were squished together in Hollywood fashion. The story was pretty close, but the equipment used (US) was very Korea Era. But not a bad film.
I know you guys will really like Letters From Iwo Jima. I don't think anyone has reacted to that underrated movie yet.
All right, nightmares. Nailed it. Aawesome getting your dad back! And yeah, a shitdisco
That Star Wars shirt looks like it could've been made in the nineties.
Your dad looks like a hard man. As a former marine i'd love to just sit and talk to him for a few hours; probably has some amazing stories to tell...
9:20 thats funny. Our nametapes just had the lastnames, so I served with some of these guys for over 4 years and I still never knew what their first name was lol
Hey Sonny Could you react to the Danish miniseries “1864” with your dad at some point?
Since yall are Danish, your military historian dad should react to the series '1864' Its about the Second Schleswig War between Denmark and Germany.
Sonny the Son and Major Daddy the Dad
Please do 'Black Book' by Paul Verhoeven. Would love to hear what Major Dad thinks of the liberation of Holland by the Canadians. He must have received some personal input from his grand parents and parents.
What amazing thing that the Japanese did was, making this Iwo Jima Campaign from 3 weeks invasion plan into 2 months of bloodbath.
Loved your reactions and review of the movie. Hopefully see more war movie reactions with Major Dad!
i forgot another war movie "1917" you guys should do
Love your reactions.
I would like to make a couple of suggestions for future reaction vids.
Pork Chop Hill starring Gregory Peck set in the Korean War.
Hamburger Hill starring Dylan Mcdermott set in the Vietnam War.
The reason why US Marines or Soldiers why sometimes leave the fox hole is first they must ID the enemy because of high level of fratricide among US Marines or Soldiers. In this movie especially happy triggered young Marines. The other reason is you don’t shoot right away, US knew the enemy are always sending probing squad to find out the US positions. Either setting a Mortar attack before a bonsai attack. Mortar directions attacks to knock out their positions, especially if it’s a machine gun...
Can y’all react to actual pacific war footage? It would be interesting to get your take after watching this, the pacific, and taking that knowledge and comparing it to actual footage from the pacific theater. Keep it up!!
I would so de reactions because they seem to be a popular thing to do on YT. The seem to generate a lot of subs.
The 2 problems I have with them is it seems everyone does the same content, and most everyone who does them hasn't seen what they are reviewing, but I have seen most all of it, and some of it multiple times.
I have made game content, and 3D modeling content.
I do think that you 2 are the only ones that have reviewed Flags of or Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. Everyone has watched Saving Private Ryan.
Great that WW2 is not dying in history though.
Thumbs Up, keep up the good fight.
Eldan at Blue Dragon Archery.
you guys should do a reaction on Hacksaw Ridge
Maybe the review of “Hawksaw Ridge “ ?
So apparently Ryan Phillipe's character (Bradley) was not in the photo
Enjoyed your reaction as always. But I'd say, at least for me, that Letters from Iwo Jima is a much more compelling story of the two. Looking forward to that one ✌
RIP Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone.
God Your dad is amazing
You and your dad should look into reacting to Jack Ryan. I bet you guys would enjoy it.
The Japanese response to the movie; "Letters From Iwo Jima" was, I thought, very sad! The Japanese people had no idea what the Iwo garrison sacrificed as their government gave them absolutely zero information. If they knew anything at all it was only that the garrison lost and as such was a dishonor to Japan and the Emperor. It was a real eye opener for them.
love your show, could you do the railway man? well worth watching and true story
Harlon block is from weslaco tx my home town Rio grande valley a state championship football player the entire football team of weslaco enlisted in the USMC.
Great channel :)
Flags was based on a book by Doc Bradley's son. He only discovered the whole story of his father's participation in the Iwo Jima campaign after his father's death from a heart attack. He interviewed friends of his father's, including René, who did the whole War Bond tour with his. He describes his shock at discovering what his dad went through.
As a genealogist, I was wondering how much Major dad has shared with you about his own military experience and about his life. How open has he been about his experiences? Many military men try to separate their family life from their professional life. Does Major dad do that? Would you care to share what that is like? A characteristic of many men I know is that they think their professional lives are of little interest to their children. I would have loved for my dad to talk about his childhood and his working life (i.e. all the parts of his life we were not a part of) before he passed away in 2015. As a family historian I have had to try to piece together a portrait of those aspects of his life from tiny shreds of information. How is it for you?
I read a book about the famous photo and it was truly fascinating. It truly was a miracle photo. The shots on that roll of film after that shot were ruined by exposure to light. The shots preceding that photo were ruined by exposure to salt water. Only that one shot on that roll of film survived. The book traces the history of each man in the shot.
There was even some controversy about the photo. The shot is so artistically balanced and aesthetically pleasing that some people couldn’t believe it was an action shot. Someone asked the photographer “Was that shot of the flag raising posed?” The photographer answered, “yes!” and this, in some people’s mind devalued the shot. However, the famous photo was NOT posed or faked at all. Photographers in the Pacific at that time only shot rolls of film, they did not develop them. They sent the rolls of film they’d shot back to facilities far behind the lines. Photographers often saw their shots the same time the general public did, in Stars & Stripes or American newspapers that made their way to the front lines. The photographer remembered taking the iconic photo but it was literally a snapshot. A motion film photographer was with him and was shooting the flag raising and the grunts weren’t waiting. The still photographer was adjusting his camera and the film photographer said “Hey, they’re doing it!” And the still photographer just pointed and snapped. He recalls being completely unsure if he’d actually shot anything.
The other confusing factor was that there were actually TWO flag-railings. The first, the famous one, happened to raise a flag that was, physically, rather small. Generals on the ships ordered a much larger flag to replace the first. The same photographer accompanied a second group of Marines with, if memory serves, one or two of the same Marines from the first party (at least one died that day after the first flag-raising) and for that second ceremony, the photographer had the Marines pose for a picture after it was done. So, at that time, the photographer didn’t know what had happened with the first shot. When he was asked “Was the flag-raising posed?” he was answering about the SECOND flag raising that HAD a posed shot associated with it.
I believe it may have been something on the order of 6 weeks before the famous shot (Arguably one of the most famous & iconic photographs ever taken!) began to be disseminated and the photographer realized which shot everyone was talking about. In a rather famous (and somewhat cynical) comment, a Marine General, possibly the Commandant, upon viewing the photo, said “That picture GUARANTEES the existence of the Corps for the next hundred years!”
Harlon Block is from Weslaco Texas my home town his mother Bell Harlon was very upset because Harlon was due to come home early before landing on two jima Harlon father did not sent the letter to the Marines to bring Harlon block back home he figured the war would be over soon.
Sjovt du ser den med din far. Så den også med min far i biografen :-) I skulle se "the thin red line" også en god krigs film. Dog lidt mere filosofisk. Hvis I ikke har set Platoon eller Full metal jacket.....så skulle I prøve dem.
Check out wind talkers about the battle for saipan. The native Americans used there language so the Japanese couldn't understand it or decode it.