Summary: As the political landscapes of Asia were transformed again and again, shattering one historical memory and replacing it with another, servicemen of all ranks and nationalities struggled to piece together a language and an identity that helped them adapt to the changing order and maintain some sense of personal consistency. Using the diary to record this process, however, was a Faustian bargain; once the "true" history of one's self is recorded along with the "facts," it becomes an immutable testament that can only be evaded by destroying the diary. Following Communist victory in 1949, the surviving records of Nationalist soldiers' experiences, trapped on the mainland, were suppressed in order to solidify the new political order. For the Japanese that found the courage to save their diaries, the documents became both a powerful incentive to seek reconciliation with China as well as a source of pride for those who continue to view Japan's role in the war positively. The subsequent stubbornness of many veterans to accept the orthodox postwar narrative, wielding their diaries as they once did their rifles, is a direct result of the power of the diary as a self-disciplinary tool.