Centralia VFW Post 2055 has donated an authentic North Vietnamese battle flag captured during the Vietnam war to the Mission: POW-MIA organization.
Post Commander Curt Hongsermeier said that it is unclear how the flag found its way to Post 2055, but the veterans are glad to put it to good use.
“Nobody can figure out how this flag ended up here, but we’re certainly glad that we found it,” Hongsermeier said. “We’re quite proud of VFW for being able to be part of helping to recover US servicemen’s remains and get them back home to their families.”
The flag was captured in June 1969 by the IVWG-1 “Sea Cobras” squadron operating US river patrol boats to interdict North Vietnamese carrying supplies and men south.
Mission: POW-MIA works to recover the remains of missing US servicemen in Vietnam, and through its “Operation: H.E.A.R.T” artifact exchange program, seeks to recover items with identifying information such as dog tags, equipment, and uniform items to help resolve cases of missing US servicemen. Items like the battle flag given by the Centralia VFW are valuable contributions to that effort.
Writing and signatures on the captured Vietnam battle flag. Photo by Austin Williams.
