It has long been a tradition of war for soldiers to take home souvenirs from the battlefield. These items symbolize their personal strength and survival. A popular souvenir was the enemy flag, but these were often hard to capture. World War II was the first opportunity many American soldiers had to bring home a flag from the opposing army. As part of tradition, every Japanese soldier carried a hinomaru yosegaki, a silk Japanese flag signed by family and friends that was meant to bring the soldier good luck. Some soldiers even carried multiple flags with them. This meant that there were more flags available for capture during the war than in previous wars.
When the war ended about 70 years ago, thousands of hinomaru yosegaki made their way back to the U.S. in the hands of American soldiers. Now, a nonprofit organization called OBON 2015 is working to return those flags to their rightful owners and their families. For the past several years, the organization has been collecting hinomaru yosegaki from veterans around the U.S. This week, seven WWII veterans will fly to Japan to deliver those flags back to the country. In a gesture of peace and goodwill, the veterans will present the hinomaru yosegaki to Japanese dignitaries.