Flags of Our Fathers Author to Give Lecture

James Bradley is the celebrated author of #1 New York Times best-seller Flags of Our Fathers, later made into a critically-acclaimed film directed by Clint Eastwood. The book is the true story of the six men, including Bradley's father, who raised the flag in 1945 on Iwo Jima, an image made iconic in the most reproduced photograph in history. A runaway success, Flags of Our Fathers exemplifies the power of doing the impossible and the achievement of incredible goals.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is a capstone event in 2010 for the Common Reader Program at Amarillo College.

Bradley will sign copies of his book immediately following the lecture.

Flags of Our Fathers is a biography of Bradleys father, John Bradley, and five other men who combined to raise the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. A photograph of that particular event earned Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press a Pulitzer Prize.

Through the sacrifice of the six flag- raisers we can all think about the ways we can be heroes within our community.

Bradley's keynote speeches are inspirational and moving testaments to the men and women who do the "impossible" everyday. Motivating all people to do their best and seek out challenges, Bradley uses stories and examples to help audiences understand what they can do to engage in the impossible.

James Bradley is more than just a best-selling author and keynote speaker, he is also a scholar of World War II, in particular, of the Pacific. In addition to Flags of Our Fathers he has published the best-seller Flyboys, as well as The Imperial Cruise, an exploration of Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy which became a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller.