LOT #43235 |
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Pearl Harbor: Hickam & Wheeler Airfield Flags from Japanese Attack on December 7, 1941....
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Sold on Nov 13, 2023 for:
$13,750.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
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Description
Pearl Harbor: Hickam & Wheeler Airfield Flags from Japanese Attack on December 7, 1941. While December 7, 1941 was fittingly assigned the distinction of "a date that will live in infamy" by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the hours after a swarm of Japanese planes rained destruction down upon the American military forces at Pearl Harbor, a broader view of history shows us that this was likewise the first day of our nation's enduring status as the most important force for freedom and democracy. Shaken from its complacency in the face of this shocking attack, the American public rallied to the cause of defender of the free world as its government declared war against both Japan and Germany in the space of four days. Thousands would enlist for the fight before the week was up.Like the "Star Spangled Banner" that inspired Francis Scott Key to author the words of our national anthem in 1814, the flags presented in this lot serve as inspiring symbols of American resolve in the face of adversity, each retained as a souvenir by a young GI named Richard D. Carney who found them in a warehouse at Hickam Field, the military airport on the banks of Pearl Harbor that likewise came under attack that fateful morning. As Carney expresses, these flags bore witness to the very first moments of our nation's participation in the Second World War.
Carney's signed letter of provenance is dated September 30, 1988, and we excerpt a portion below with grammatical errors left uncorrected:
"When we found the Flags These Notation were attached to same/ They were found in a case at a Wharehouse on HIckam Field/ My involvement with the Air Corps Supply Availed me the chance to get these flags...The Notes attached thus/ The blue Flag = The chaplains Flage. Was on the Roof of the Chapel No 1 / When the Japanese bombers on the way to Pearl Harbor passed over Wheeler Field and they bomb & straffed the Base. So the flag was shot of the Chapel by breaking the Flag Pole. So in essence it was the First Chaplain Flag to be hit during World War 2/
The American Flag was in the Commandants Office and that Building was also damaged so the Flag was Encased in the Commandants Office/ So it was the First Know American Flag to be involved in the Start of the Pacific War."
The Chaplain's flag and American flag measure 23x37" and 36x48" respectively. Also included in the lot is a dozen snapshot photographs of Carney in Hawaii including one in which he poses in front of a bomber at Hickam Field. Several bear handwritten notations on verso. The collection of flags and photographs originally entered the collectibles marketplace in a small estate auction in Carney's home state of Maine.
Condition: Both flags exhibit minor age toning, else fine.
Auction Info
2023 November 13 - 14 Americana & Political Signature Auction Signature® Auction #6276 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2023
13th-14th
Monday-Tuesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 528
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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