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Flags signal war�s end for Eagle Point veteran Mail Tribune/Paul Fattig World War II combat medic Peter Crandall says returning two silk battle flags he took as souvenirs from two dead Japanese soldiers during the battle of Okinawa will provide him closure. �Spiritual closure� will follow return of battle spoils By PAUL FATTIG EAGLE POINT � For Peter Crandall, a story that began in mortal combat more than half a century ago is about to come to a peaceful end. Two silk flags he took from dead Japanese soldiers while serving as a young combat medic with the Army�s 77th Infantry Division during the bloody three-month battle for Okinawa in 1945 are heading home. One flag will be given to the sister of one of the fallen soldiers. The other will be given to the Peace Museum on Okinawa. "For me, it�s an emotional closure," Crandall said. "For this lady, it�s a spiritual closure. "She has written and told me that when she gets her brother�s flag back, it will mean he has come home spiritually," he adds. "That means a lot to me." Crandall, 78, owns the historic Butte Creek flour mill in Eagle Point. He began looking for surviving family members of the soldiers after he and his wife, Cora, attended a 50th anniversary ceremony of the battle on Okinawa in 1995. Allied and Japanese veterans of the battle attended the ceremony. "These flags mean so much to the families back in Japan," Crandall explained. "They were known as banzai flags. They were given to soldiers when they went off to war. They had a sending-off party." The name of the soldier who carried each silk flag is prominently displayed, along with his home town. Crandall�s flags have the names of Hisakazu Furuya and Toshimitsu Hoshino. Many of the banzai flags were signed by local dignitaries and friends, as was the case with Hoshino�s flag. But only Furuya�s name appears on his flag, along with his home town of Shintotsugawa-Mura.The reunification of Furuya�s flag and family comes out of communications Crandall had with U.S. military personnel at Okinawa. Two years ago, a young Japanese woman visiting the Rogue Valley dropped by Crandall�s flour mill in Eagle Point. An English teacher in Japan, she also joined the effort. Crandall noted that his search was aided by the quick communication with Japan e-mail allows. While he was unable to find Hoshino�s descendants, he tracked down Furuya�s sister who, at 78, is widowed and lives with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren near Sapporo. "She told us this flag is the only thing they will have of his," Crandall said. He had intended to personally deliver the flag to the soldier�s sister next month. However, because of health reasons he will not be going. Instead, he�s having it hand-carried back to Japan by a Japanese tourist now visiting the Rogue Valley. After a 55-year absence, the flags should be back in Okinawa in early August. Hoshino�s flag will be given to the new Peace Museum on Okinawa. In their search, Crandall and his helpers found that Furuya first served in Manchuria during the war, then was transferred to Okinawa. "We know his unit was in the area where I was," Crandall said. The site was Chocolate Drop Hill. The around-the-clock battle of Okinawa began April 1, 1945, and continued until July 2, with Americans attacking during the day and Japanese soldiers counterattacking at night. When the fighting finally stopped, there were nearly 40,000 American casualties. More than 107,000 Japanese and Okinawans were killed. During one lull in the battle, Crandall, like many young soldiers, picked up the two silk flags. "These flags have bits of blood on them but I can�t help that," he said. "We fought for that hill over two weeks before we finally took it. It was night and day, hand to hand." Crandall, who never displayed the flags over the years, said he doesn�t want to focus on who killed who. His concern is simply that the story ends. "Closure � that�s what this means for me," Crandall said. "I also like flags. I understand what they mean to people." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA