WWII veteran completes 73-year mission to return dead Japanese soldier's flag

"It's like the war has finally ended and my brother can come out of limbo."

WWII veteran Marvin Strombo, right, and Tatsuya Yasue hold a Japanese flag which was owned by his brother Sadao Yasue, who was killed during WWII. Source: AP

For 73 years, World War II veteran Marvin Strombo has held onto a calligraphy-covered flag he took from a dead Japanese soldier on the battlefield.

The 93-year-old always hoped that one day he would be able to return the deeply personal flag, which is covered with signatures of 180 friends and neighbours, to the family of its rightful owner.

That day came this week, when the US marine flew from his home in Montana to Japan and handed the flag back to the family of Sadao Yasue, who perished on the frontline in Saipan. No trace of his body was ever recovered.

Sadao Yasue and Martin Strombo as young men, sent to fight for their countries. Source: Obon Society

His brother Tatsuya Yasue, 89, held his face to the flag and smelled it, before kissing Strombo's hands in thanks.

"It smelled like my good old big brother, and it smelled like our mother's home cooking we ate together," Tatsuya told the Associated Press, as reported in the Washington Post.

"The flag will be our treasure."

His sister, Sayoko Furuta, wept in her wheelchair as the silk flag was placed on her lap.

"I was so happy that I returned the flag," Strombo said. 

"I can see how much the flag meant to her. That almost made me cry... It meant everything in the world to her."

It's the culmination of a seven-decade mission for Strombo, who originally took the flag as a souvenir, but felt guilty and vowed to one day return the heirloom.

His friends contacted the Obon Society, a not-for-profit organisation which seeks to heal the emotional wounds inflicted by war through the peaceful return of battlefield souvenirs. It has so far returned 125 flags to their owners.

The flag, known as a hinomaru yosegaki, was a traditional gift given to Japanese soldiers for good luck. Allied troops often took them as war souvenirs, but they hold a deep meaning for bereaved families. 

By studying the signatures and messages on the flag, the organisation was able to track down its rightful owners in the small mountain village of Higashishirakawa.

Not only did Strombo give Sadao Yasue's family back the flag, he also provided them with some longed-for details about when, where and how their brother died.

He was able to tell them that he found Sadao's body on the outskirts of Garapan, where he was lying on the ground on his left side, looking peaceful, with no severe wounds - giving them hope they might one day be able to recover his remains.

The emotional meeting and handing over of the flag has given both Strombo and Sadao Yasue's family a sense of closure.

"It means so much to me and the family to get the flag back and move on," Strombo says.

Tatsuya Yasue agrees: "It's like the war has finally ended and my brother can come out of limbo."