glen stockdale of billings montana did come home. fought the japanese in the pa sfic until 1945.taff sergeant he saw things most could not imagine. until the day he died at age 84, he kept most of it to himself. >> never talked about the war. >> reporter: locked it all away. >> yes, uh-huh. >> reporter: that's glen's son terry. what he knew of his dad's service came mostly from rummaging through his father's old footlocker. >> it was in the basement. kids go down and look ate. see what is in here and there. >> reporter: among other things, terry found a japanese flag. scarefully folded. stained with blood. and covered in writing. then he found another. and another. >> they were memories of the war, a trophy, you know? spoils of war. >> reporter: collecting them was common place. pictures abound of u.s. servicemen posing with the flags. known as japanese soldiers carried them as keepsakes into battle. good luck charms of sorts. with wishes from family and friends, scrolled around the rising sun. keepsakes in battle. in stockdale's footlocker the flags were ghosts of a long ago ene