Band of Brothers

p. 155

Men in combat want souvenirs from the possessions of slain enemy troops: a Luger, a swastika banner, a camouflaged poncho. They will be willing to come under fire to scoop up souvenirs. One member of E Company, Glenn Gray, explained why souvenirs were so important to combat troops: “’Primarily, souvenirs appeared to give the soldier some assurance of his future beyond the destructive environment of the present. They represented a promise that he might survive.’”