Clint Eastwood directed this tale of the battle for Iwo Jima in World War II. 6 Americans, 5 marines and a navy corpman, raised a flag on Mount Suribachi. A newspaper photographer took the picture which became an icon. 3 of the men in the picture were killed in the battle. Eastwood's movie is based on a book written by James Bradley, the son of one of the survivors. 6,821 Americans and 21,000 Japanese died on this island 500 miles from Tokyo. Eastwood attempts to show the tragedy of war and the tenuous nature of heroism. I grew tired of being told there is no such thing as a hero. Although the story is interesting, the movie is boring.