Pfc. Forrest B. Parker, a 1939 Sturgis High School graduate, was in the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He sent home a war souvenir to his mother, Clara Parker, a small silk Japanese flag.
On September 2, 1945, the official surrender of Japan occurred onboard the USS Missouri, ending the Pacific campaign of World War II. It is also known as V-J Day.
Parker fought in the Battle of Tarawa. The battle lasted for four days and claimed the lives of over 1,000 US Marines. Of the Japanese defenders, only 17 of the 4,600 survived.
Following that battle, Parker sent home the silk flag, a yard square, called a Hinomaru Yosegaki Flag. These were carried by Japanese soldiers into battle and could easily be folded to fit in their pack. On it were good luck messages written by the Japanese soldier’s friends, family and fellow soldiers.
Many U.S. soldiers brought these flags back as war souvenirs. It was common for World War II soldiers to carry smaller versions of their national flag.
The Sturgis Historical Museum held the flag for years but had no documentation as to its origin. Recently, I found a Sturgis Journal clipping dated Dec. 28, 1943 in a scrapbook. The article reported Parker’s mother, Clara, received a package of war souvenirs. The flag was placed in the window of Carl Rehm Clothing store for the duration of the war. Parker was killed in action the following year during the battle for the strategic Pacific Island of Tinian.
Another Sturgis Journal article reported on a letter Parker’s brother-in-law, Howard Klink, sent to his wife. Klink went to the same island and was hoping to find Parker.
“I had been there about a week when a buddy of Bill’s found me. . . He said he had been standing right next to Bill when he was hit. . . . The chaplain took me to the spot where Bill died and then to the cemetery where he lies asleep. It is a beautiful cemetery. Bill died about 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 29. The chaplain and I knelt in prayer at his grave,” Klink wrote.
Earlier this year, out of respect, we sent the Japanese flag to OBON Society in Oregon. The society works to reunite these flags with surviving members of the soldier’s family if possible. While we feel the flag is where it belongs, it was gratifying to learn how it got to Sturgis and to remember Bill Parker, a beloved Sturgis son, brother and friend.
Rachel Boland is a dedicated volunteer archivist and researcher at the museum.
