He added: “Our goal was to determine whether there was evidence to suggest that this was the ground zero flag and then work to reunite the flag with its owner”. Franklin captured the poignant flag-raising moment which was reminiscent of the image of American soldiers raising the flag at the battle of Iwo Gima in 1945. A substitute flag, purported to be the original, was displayed around NY after the terrorist attack.
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Exactly how the flag wound up in Everett, a city about 30 miles north of Seattle, is a mystery.
“Listen, this is the most famous flag of the 21st century”, said lost Brad Meltzer, host of “Lost History” on the the History Channel, which will air a documentary on its recovery Sunday – the 15th anniversary of the attacks.
The flag has had an unusual and mysterious journey across the US. Another flag that was purported to be the one in the photo, but which was somewhat larger than the original, was displayed at various locations following the 9/11 attacks, including Yankee Stadium and an aircraft carrier, and signed by prominent officials.
St. Clair said it was unclear whether the firefighters knew about the 9/11 flag or that it was missing.
169-a-17-(Alice Greenwald, director, 9/11 Museum, speaking to reporters)-“in that flag”-9/11 Museum director Alice Greenwald says the flag is an important symbol”. The flag was returned anonymously to authorities in Washington state.
He said he was a Marine who had served in Iraq, The Everett Herald reported. They took the flag and raised it on a lanyard above the rubble.
Detectives Jim Massingale and Mike Atwood took over the flag investigation, with the Everett police department keeping it secret. Schneck is now certain this is the ground zero flag. She and Chubb insurance donated the flag to the museum. They enlisted a crime lab in Washington State, which confirmed that the flag was embedded with dust particles from the 9/11 site.
“We got to handle the flag several times”. During the show, John W. Cutter, who was a member of the New York Police Department’s criminal intelligence section and retired as a deputy chief in 2004, expresses doubts that the flag came from a widow.
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“It’s truly incredible”, Dreifus said.
