It was Bradley’s son who wrote Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of our Fathers. His father went to grave stating that he was the man in the picture.
Read the book and attributed Bradley's reticence to discuss the flag raising to modesty. Many years, on the anniversary of the flag raising on Iwo jima, the media would call and ask for a comment. The family was instructed to tell them he was upstate fishing. Bradley was awarded the Navy Cross for action a few days later, unrelated to the flag raising. However, I find it difficult to believe he didn't know that he was not in that picture. He had to know ...