To the victors go the spoils. It’s a rule as old as war itself. In her book, In Blood, Flowers Bloom: A World War II Story of Valor and Forgiveness Across Generations, CNN International producer Samantha Bresnahan briefly speculates on the reasons why soldiers collect war trophies. Anger? Dominating a fallen foe? Avenging dead comrades? However, Bresnahan is far more interested in the power of these souvenirs to promote peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.
Her book begins with the story of a silk Japanese flag. Once owned by a Japanese soldier killed on the Philippine island of Leyte in 1944, it was found in 2003 in a backyard shed near Buffalo, New York. In Blood, Flowers Bloom recounts how a network of Japanese and American men and women have worked tirelessly and without compensation to reunite mementos like this flag with the families of the fallen Japanese soldiers.
Marty Connor, who died in 2020, fought in Iwo Jima for 36 days, escaping death incalculable times. After the battle, Connor came home with a duffel stuffed with souvenirs. Decades later, he began to question why he had brought all those letters, flags, swords, even pay records, home with him. What purpose did they serve him? First returning his own items, Connor went on to encourage other marines and their families to send their artifacts back to Japan. Bresnahan writes about Connor with great affection and respect, as well as honesty about his doubts and guilt.
There are many heroes in this book besides Marty, on both sides of the Pacific, and Bresnahan does an excellent job piecing together the many aspects of this complex story of war, loss and memory. In addition to being a compelling story, In Blood, Flowers Bloom makes a profound point. The returned items provide the expected closure and peace to the families receiving them. But the act of returning the souvenirs also helps heal the memories and trauma of the men who survived the war, allowing them to recognize the humanity of their former foes and opening a path to reconciliation.
