Maynard Antilla
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Not Available
Maynard Antilla
Explanation of the “Belt of a thousand stitches”
Donor Maynard Antilla says that these belts were worn by Japanese soldiers in the belief that they could not be killed as long as they wore them. The belts were sent to soldiers by their wives, sweethearts or mothers. Those women would ask many other women to make the stitches in the desired design, with married women allowed to make two stitches and single women one.
The belt was sent to Antilla by Don Carlton of St Paul, who had served with Antilla before the donor was wounded during fighting in the Pacific. As Carlton notes in his June 28,1945 letter to Antilla from Okinawa. “The Japs believe you can’t kill them if they have it on, but this one was very dead”.
Copy of 6/28/45 letter and censor’s note also attached.
