This was a very touching story, thank you for posting it.
What a story of a different time...I am glad the Myochin family founf closure and peace with the return of the Family Flag...and how the Johnsons kept that flag all these years as a rememberance rather than a trophy.
The acceptance of the Myochin family that the father of the man in front of them killed their loved one—but that is the nature of war. None of the families wanted it, but it is what happened.
I enjoyed the article
Great story.
Thank you
You might be interested in the Gettysburg reunion of soldiers as well
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_Gettysburg_reunion
My father was a BAR rifleman with the 1st Marine Div and was in the first wave to hit the beaches of Okinawa. They made it to the beach, but the those coming in behind em weren’t so fortunate....pretty devestating. For awhile, they were essentially trapped on the beach...couldn’t go back, couldn’t go forward...pinned down for hours. He didn’t talk too much about it when I was a kid. I do remember him telling me he spent the last few months of his enlistment as a hand-to-hand combat instructor and you really didn’t want to piss the guy off...lol. ...don’t ask me how I know! They tried to get him to re-enlist, but he had seen and been through enough. He didn’t do it...most of those he knew that did died in Korea.
A year or two before he passed away, two Marine historians/stenographers spent some time with him at his home in Maine recording his WWII experiences. A couple of times, they just had to stop because it was just unreal what he was describing. All three of em was practically in tears. There is no doubt: war is hell.
I find it interesting that this story appeared at the same time as this thread: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4131939/posts
That thread is about best films. Casablanca and Best Years of Our Lives are two being considered. Best Years has a scene at 25:39 where, actor whose name I can’t remember, gives his son a flag found on a dead Japanese soldier. That flag would appear to be the same sort of “unique artifact”. Perhaps at that time the significance was not yet appreciated.
I thought, one very interesting coincidence as I watched “Best Years” for 53 minutes before seeing this thread.
It is an interesting story, and glad the family had a little closure. Over the years I’ve mellowed out regarding enemy soldiers simply because the lower ranking ones are really no different than American soldiers in that they are doing what they believe is right (based on propaganda) or they are drafted and have no choice.
They go to war, they participate in the horrors, they die, they come home maimed physically and emotionally. And their families miss the MIA’s as much as American families do.
I think WWII had a good ending, where Germany and Japan were beaten into unconditional surrender, then their countries rebuilt in a compassionate way where they are now allies. The military industrial complex will see to it that will never happen again.
Powerful stuff!
Interesting and touching article.
Maybe this is peripheral, but I’ve noticed lately that we (collectively) seem to give the Japanese a pass on the actions of their parents and grandparents. Yet the Germans don’t get the same indulgences.