Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When U.S. Marine Marvin Strombo found a Japanese flag on the body of an enemy soldier during World War Two, he took and promised to one day return it to the family of his fallen foe.
That vow was fulfilled on Tuesday, exactly 72 years after Japan's surrender, when Strombo, 93, handed the flag to the brother and sisters of Sadao Yasue.
5 years ago, he was connected with a non-profit group that helps with these situations and helped him find the soldier's family. What a nice story!
That's an amazing gesture that one can find very touching. The sense of community in Japan was extremely strong, many people in his village signed the flag for him that day, and it looks to be in very good condition. Considering the brutality of this war, many U.S. veterans find forgiveness in their hearts before they die and they also find peace by doing acts like this one. Everyone wins in these stories like this one.
This story, and others like it, illustrate the fact that some wars are fought mainly by good and decent human beings on both sides. Those human beings are thrust into a life & death struggle, and required to do things they would never ordinarily do. The fact that veterans of those conflicts can retain their humanity, and (eventually) see their former foe as someone much the same as themselves, says a great deal about our ability to forgive. Governments and politicians are the ones solely responsible for the death & destruction left behind, and all of the trauma suffered by the combatants that must do the actual fighting. The hate left over should be directed at those leaders, not the nation as a whole.
Bravo to the veteran in the OP, for his gesture of forgiveness and healing.
This story, and others like it, illustrate the fact that some wars are fought mainly by good and decent human beings on both sides. Those human beings are thrust into a life & death struggle, and required to do things they would never ordinarily do. The fact that veterans of those conflicts can retain their humanity, and (eventually) see their former foe as someone much the same as themselves, says a great deal about our ability to forgive. Governments and politicians are the ones solely responsible for the death & destruction left behind, and all of the trauma suffered by the combatants that must do the actual fighting. The hate left over should be directed at those leaders, not the nation as a whole.
Bravo to the veteran in the OP, for his gesture of forgiveness and healing.
THIS!!!
When I listen to political leaders pontificate, bellow, shake their fists, and rant it just makes me sick. They are not paying the price for the "stand" their nations will end up making if it comes to blows. Why does it seem like national leaders and their diplomatic representatives behave like sulking children...trading insults, stalking out of meetings in a huff, refusing to meet, waiting for the other "side" to twitch first? And also political groups who vow never to forget what was done to their ancestors? Keep on stirring the pot for what?
There is an organization called OBON whose mission is to return flags and other WWII souvenirs to their families in Japan. It's very touching and inspiring to read about their work and see the short videos. These heirlooms mean everything to the survivors.
A WWII veteran who lives near me had a small pile of letters he'd picked up in 1944 in Borneo. I can read enough Japanese to figure out that they were all written by wives and children in Japan to a pair of soldiers, brothers, who had been on Borneo before he got there. With his permission, we sent them to the OBON Society and I hope that one day they are returned to any surviving family.
There is an organization called OBON whose mission is to return flags and other WWII souvenirs to their families in Japan. It's very touching and inspiring to read about their work and see the short videos. These heirlooms mean everything to the survivors.
A WWII veteran who lives near me had a small pile of letters he'd picked up in 1944 in Borneo. I can read enough Japanese to figure out that they were all written by wives and children in Japan to a pair of soldiers, brothers, who had been on Borneo before he got there. With his permission, we sent them to the OBON Society and I hope that one day they are returned to any surviving family.
This holds true for all veterans of wars, they will help return artifacts wherever there's a need for their services, even from the Iraq/Afghan wars
There is an organization called OBON whose mission is to return flags and other WWII souvenirs to their families in Japan. It's very touching and inspiring to read about their work and see the short videos. These heirlooms mean everything to the survivors.
A WWII veteran who lives near me had a small pile of letters he'd picked up in 1944 in Borneo. I can read enough Japanese to figure out that they were all written by wives and children in Japan to a pair of soldiers, brothers, who had been on Borneo before he got there. With his permission, we sent them to the OBON Society and I hope that one day they are returned to any surviving family.
Not trying to be negative, just a genuine question.............
I assume this org. returns only Japanese artifacts, so would there be another org. that returns items taken from American soldiers? I've no doubt that souvenirs were taken on both sides.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
