Tattered flag from Iwo Jima battle discovered

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A Japanese flag that flew during the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII has gone through many sets of hands and was lost for decades. Now it's destined for the U.S. Marine Corps museum

Sunday, February 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A Japanese flag that flew during the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII has gone through many sets of hands and was lost for decades. Now it's destined for the U.S. Marine Corps museum at Parris Island, S.C.

After the battle, Herman Deere, 74, of Tulsa, had possession of the flag. Deere is a surviving member of the mortar platoon of Headquarters Company of 2/28 of the Fifth Marine Division which was involved in the assault on Mount Suribachi in 1945. It's suffered some wear over the years, and has what appear to be blood stains.

The flag was taken off the helmet of a Japanese soldier whom Deere found dead in a cave after the battle. It bears the names of platoon members on the material of Japanese silk warp and weave.

Tulsa builder Mike Fretz found the flag in an outbuilding of a west Tulsa refinery district residence he had purchased to rehabilitate. Fretz gave the flag to Michael Flick of Tulsa, a Marine Vietnam veteran. Deere said he shipped the flag to Tulsa after the war, but it was lost during shipping and stayed for years in a California government warehouse before it was returned to him in 1951. He later loaned it to a teen-ager to be framed. He said he forgot about it until he was contacted by Flick about two years ago who found Deere's name on the flag.

Flick said he has been able to locate 21 members of the Marine platoon after 14 months of research. Flick, Deere and other veterans will take the flag to ParrisIsland on Feb. 24, five days after the 55th anniversary of the Marines landing at Iwo Jima. The museum has about 70,000 visitors annually. Museum officials have said the flag will fit in nicely with the WWII exhibits.