A local veteran will travel halfway around the world to return a Japanese flag his father took from a dead soldier during WWII.
Charley Trujillo, an Army Infantryman, says he has suffered from nightmares, insomnia and drug abuse, but hopes returning the flag will chase away his demons.
"I want to return it to honor his family and my dad’s memory as well," Trujillo said.
His father was a WWII veteran who took the Japanese flag from a soldier on the battlefield in New Guinea. It still has blood stains and tribute lettering that translate to "always win" and "each man equal to ten."
Trujillo was able to determine the soldier was from Kyoto Fukuchiyama and will fly to the region next week to begin tracking down the man’s family.
"I do it as a gesture of peace," Trujillo said. "War is a very negative experience, and I think in our society, we take it too lightly."
