‘Shootout! Iwo Jima’ brings perspective to flag-raising
There is an inadvertent distortion in the famous flag-raising picture from the World War II battle for Iwo Jima: It seems to imply that the battle was won once Marines fought their way atop Mt. Suribachi. It wasn’t.
A month -- a solid month -- of virtual hand-to-hand fighting followed as Marines struggled to take control of three airstrips. More casualties occurred after the flag-raising than before.
“Shootout! Iwo Jima,” tonight’s premiere of the second season of the “Shootout!” series on the History Channel, follows the battle from the landing on the volcanic sand beaches to the fight for Mt. Suribachi to the weeks of savagery and heroism that followed.
For anyone whose interest in Iwo Jima has been aroused by the movie “Flags of our Fathers,” this one-hour documentary is a must.
Produced by Flight 33 Productions, the “Shootout” series makes good use of historic film, re-creations, computer graphics, and interviews with Marine veterans and historians. You could argue that the background music for “Iwo Jima” is too modern and the narrator could use more oomph, but these are smallish matters.
“Iwo Jima” is a first-rate telling of a story of enormous sacrifice and bravery by both Japanese soldiers and U.S. Marines. Although the focus is on the Marines, the Japanese are not demonized and their grit and ingenuity not discounted.
Any battle is the sum of many mini-battles, and “Iwo” captures this reality by telling of Cpl. Tony Stein, who used a modified aircraft gun to assault a bunker; of Lt. John Keith Wells, who led a charge toward Mt. Suribachi; and of Sgt. William Harrell, who lost both hands to grenades but continued fighting.
“Iwo” also suggests there were tactical screw-ups that led to American deaths, such as an order for personnel to turn in their ammunition the night before they were to be evacuated. That night, the Japanese pulled a surprise raid and 55 Americans were killed, many without weapons to fight back.
When the battle for Iwo Jima was over, 6,800 Americans and 20,000 Japanese were dead. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded. Uncommon valor, the saying went, had become a common virtue.
“Iwo Jima” captures that valor and virtue in detail and with respect.
*
‘Shootout! Iwo Jima’
Where: The History Channel
When: 8 tonight
Ratings: TV-PG V (may be unsuitable for young children with advisory for violence)
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