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11th Airborne Division Captured Japanese Flag


johnny12550
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As part of a small grouping that the vet gave me 20 years ago. This was brought back by Sergeant Bernhard Schmidt of the 221st Medical Company. He said he picked it up in Luzon

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Great looking flag with awesome provenance! If you havent done so already, I would recommend messaging member Eric Queen. He can probably translate some of it for you and get the Japanese soldier's name.

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That would be nice if it could be translated. I was going to frame it and have a little plaque made up having Schmidt's name along with unit info and where it was captured. If I could find out the Japanese soldiers name I would also include that. He did tell me that the soldier he took it from was dead and it was inside his shirt

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(1)= inori = "praying for"

 

 

(2) 武運長久 = buunchoukyuu = "continued luck in the fortunes of war"

 

 

(3) (given/presented to) 堂崎 = Douzaki (surname) = Tadashi or Masashi (given name, can be read both ways)

= kun = "Mr" for young men

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I almost forgot the bayonet. Its the one in the picture. I asked for the rifle, but he said he no longer had it. When I met him we were both living in Brooklyn, so I think he just didn't want to bring it out for fear of getting in trouble. Possession of a rifle in NYC would be trouble with the Police.

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BILL THE PATCH

Discharge Document. I also have his Ike jacket, but it's in storage. Once I dig it out I can post the pics

Wow, nice his discharge says Knickerbocker ave, I could walk in 15 to 20 minutes from my house and be at at address. Small world

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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He still lived in that area when I met him. I bumped into him at an old bar at the corner of St Nicholas Ave. and Palmetto Street. The Sailor you see in the old pics was also there, his name was John. The owner was also a WWII vet who inherited the bar from his father. There was another vet that was there, but I can't remember his name. Bernie explained to me that there were 5 of them that used to drink in the bar before the war and continued to meet at the bar for all those years after the war. He said that the 5th guy did not make it back, he was in the AAC and died in Europe. The remaining 4 were at the bar when I was hanging out there.

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BILL THE PATCH

Nice story, my dad was in the 11th abn div during the war, always hung out with a guy in one of the local bars that was also in the 11th. His name was George? I know St Nicholas and palmetto st's well I think there a bar on the corner called two something? cannot remember. Was a very nice neighborhood years ago.

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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