Shigeaki Mori spent much of his life trying to get recognition for 12 American airmen who died alongside tens of thousands of Japanese after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. Mori died on Saturday, at the age of 88. In 2018, reporter Ibby Caputo filed this profile. His story is one of heartbreak and compassion, and it’s a potent reminder of the savagery of war.

This story originally aired on Aug. 6, 2018.