Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a gorgeous Japanese “meatball” flag which was “captured” and beautifully signed in gothic text by 1st Sergeant Gerald Vance McCranie of the 24th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, 24th Infantry Division, stationed at Okinawa, Japan, with his Divisional insignia painted on the middle of the red sun, and the names ‘Rozelle’ and ‘Mary Lynn’ inscribed at the top, Rozelle being his wife and Mary Lynn being his first daughter, born in 1944.

The 24th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division during WWII and participated in the division’s Pacific service. The unit underwent several wartime and immediate postwar redesignations and subsequently took part in occupation duties in Japan with the division. Official records document the reconnaissance troop and other elements of the 24th Infantry Division during the occupation period, particularly in Okinawa.

The flag which measures 27 x 36 ¼” is a great silk example with gold-leaf corner reinforcements which do show heavy wear and material loss, and only one of the tie strings is retained, the rest now gone. There are some scattered moth nips in spots across the flag
The combination of the Japanese national flag, painted 24th Infantry Division insignia, identification to 1st Sergeant Gerald Vance McCranie, and inscriptions naming members of his family makes this considerably more than a standard Japanese souvenir flag. Its personalized decoration directly connects a Japanese wartime artifact with an identified American serviceman and the 24th Infantry Division’s Pacific and occupation history, making it an especially compelling research and display piece.