from Hilltop to Mountaintop: The Life & Legacy of one Iwo Jima Flag Raiser

by Ron Elliott

The image of the U.S. Marines raising the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima may very well be the most famous photograph of all time. While Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal s iconic picture captured in the final stages of World War II fuses the men into a single historic unit, they remain six individuals and each was an American woman s precious baby boy. From an overall historical viewpoint, given that what we see in the photograph is American teamwork, courage and victory, the individual identities may not matter; nonetheless each of the six men has a unique background and traveled a distinctive path to reach the summit of Mt. Suribachi. Through exhaustive research into sources public and private, Ron Elliott has detailed the heart-warming and heart-wrenching drama that is the life and legacy of one of the flag raisers, Franklin Runyon Sousley. Sousley s story is related with all the tragedy, humor and excitement that compose the remarkable life of one chosen by fate to be representative of the thousands of Americans who sacrificed so much to preserve our way of life.

224 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published October 15, 2010

Reviews

[Carl Sale · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book! Ron Elliott has the ability to put the reader in the shoes of US Marine Franklin Sousley as a child in Hilltop Kentucky, in boot camp in California and struggling through the coarse balk sand of Iwo Jima.
The facts ae presented as they occur but in an entertaining fashion. You'll giggle at Sousley's pranks and shed a tear at his mother's heartbreak when she learns of his death in battle.
Be prepared to read the entire text at one sitting -- this book is hard to put down!

[Andrea Tomé · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
An endearing fictionalized biography of one of the Iwo Jima flag raisers. Not the kind of book you'd go to looking for the cold, hard facts and just the cold, hard facts but an approachable story for the general public.