A Japanese battle flag that was donated to a Goodwill store in Davenport by mistake is headed to a museum. U.S. forces captured the flag during World War II after the battle of Tarawa Island in the Pacific.
An inscription along the border says it was captured from Japanese Imperial Marines on November 24th, 1943. The Quad-City Times reports the flag had belonged to a late World War II veteran who had served in the South Pacific.
His niece had stored the flag in a box in her garage for 30 years, unaware of its historical value. She was unaware her son, who cleaned out the garage, had donated it to the Davenport Goodwill store.
But workers there realized its historical value after putting it up for auction. Goodwill has since donated the flag to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
By Phil Roberts, Davenport