Captured National Flag of Japan, 24th Div., 19th Inf.
This captured, silk, Japanese national flag was defaced by American soldiers from the 19th Infantry while serving with the 24th Division during the post war occupation of Japan, likely kept and altered as such as a memento of service.
At the beginning of WWII, the 19th Infantry was originally stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and was one of the first units to see combat in the Pacific. They served in campaigns in the Central Pacific in New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon, the Southern Philippines and the Occupation of Japan.
The flag has been inscribed above the red sun in yellow, stylized letters: "Beppu, Kyushu, Japan." On either side of the red sun are the 24th infantry Divisional Insignia and the Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) of the 19th United States Infantry regiment. Below and within the frame is a white pennant bearing the DUIs of the 19th Infantry, "The Rock of Chickamauga," and the 24th division.
Presumably, this is a reference commemorating the 1946 to 1950 period that the 19th was stationed in Beppu on Kyushu, establishing Camp Chickamauga on the southernmost major island, during the post-war Occupation of Japan.
Provenance: It was acquired in 2003 by purchase as a GI bring back at the Bay Area Militaria Show, San Jose, CA.
ZFC Important Flag
Item is Framed
Sources:
19th Infantry Regiment, Wikipedia, 2 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_Infantry
History, About Beppu, 2 Amy 2012, from:
http://www.beppu-navi.jp/ml/english/history.htm
24th Infantry Division, Wikipedia, 2 May 2102, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_Infantry_Division_%28United_States%29
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
