Smith, Sherman L.

Sherman L. Smith (1918-2002) participated in the 1943 landing by the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment on Kiska. He then went on to fight the Germans in Italy in 1945. After the war, Smith set up an extensive WWII museum in his basement, including a "sun flag" he'd found while exploring the tunnels on Kiska in 1943. The flag had been left as bait for booby traps. Forty-three years later he wondered if the flag's owner was still alive. He had a friend at a Japanese automobile dealership translate the Japanese characters that had been written on the flag, around its red center. They were the names of men who had been members of a Japanese alpine club, so Smith decided to contact a climbing organization in Japan to see if he could make a connection. A series of letters led him to Karl Kasukabe, who had also been on Kiska. The flag was returned to Kasukabe during a month-long series of presentations and meetings in Japan in 1986. Eventually, the groundwork was laid for a reunion of Japanese and American soldiers on Kiska, 15 August 1993, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Americans' wartime landing.

From the description of Sherman L. Smith papers, 1986-1994. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). WorldCat record id: 591409530