The most common item they found was the Yosegaki Hinomaru or “Good Luck Flag” worn into battle by many Japanese, generally around their waists, in pockets, or inside their helmets. Made out of delicate fibers, the flags were signed, and usually inscribed with well wishes, by the soldiers’ families, friends, and neighbors. Part talisman, part heirloom, and part patriotic symbol, the Yosegaki Hinomaru was a sacred item to the average Japanese serviceman. To the Americans, very few of whom had any idea of, or all that much respect for, the cultural or personal significance of the flags, their
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