Journalist Thomey, who served as a Marine in the Pacific, gets readers to the heart of the matter, which was the stunning courage of the soldiers of Iwo Jima. His account of the battle is masterful, as he relies heavily on the words of those who fought, and his descriptions of the aftermath, including the decades-long campaign to recognize Bill Genaust (whose video captured the same image) and explain Joe Rosenthal's approach are equally riveting. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)