FG-061 - Signed Operation Iraqi Freedom Flag
Flag ID: FG-061
Flag facts
- Country represented: Republic of Iraq
- Flag design: Iraqi national flag used from 1991 to 2004
- Dimensions: approximately 80 × 130 cm
- Ratio: approximately 1:1.63
- Material: Very lightweight synthetic satin- or gauze-like fabric
- Construction: Three sewn horizontal panels
- Hoist: Narrow sewn sleeve or tunnel for mounting on a pole
- Central design: Three green stars and an Arabic inscription applied in a stiff, paint-like medium on the obverse only
- Production quality: Rough and probably inexpensive local manufacture
- Repairs: Part of the red field has been re-sewn
- Inscriptions: 59 recorded names, ranks, nicknames and personal messages
- Central individual: PFC A. D. Miles
- Military context: United States Marine Corps and United States Navy personnel
- Unit: 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division
- Conflict and date: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2003
- Probable signing period: 21 March to approximately June 2003
- Later provenance: Recovered from an abandoned storage unit in Florida in 2026
- Assessment: Personal deployment souvenir signed in Iraq by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom
Context, provenance and identification
FG-061 is a crudely manufactured Iraqi national flag bearing 59 handwritten names, ranks, nicknames and personal messages from United States Marines and Navy personnel serving in Iraq in 2003.
Its connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom does not depend solely on later seller information. The inscriptions themselves repeatedly refer to Iraq 2003, Iraqi Freedom 03, Iraqi Tour 03 and Spring Break Iraq 03.
One inscription identifies the central individual as PFC A. D. Miles. Other inscriptions address Miles directly, while Miles also signed and dated the flag himself in Iraq in 2003.
The evidence indicates that this was Miles’ personal deployment souvenir. He appears to have obtained the flag in Iraq and circulated it among fellow Marines and Navy corpsmen, who filled it with signatures, jokes and memories from the deployment.
Because Miles signed the object himself, there is no reason to interpret it as a formal farewell or recovery flag made after he had been wounded, evacuated or sent home. It is more convincingly understood as a personal record of the men with whom he served.
Based on the names researched, the flag was signed by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during the battalion’s first Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment in 2003. Multiple uncommon names recorded on the flag correspond with personnel documented together in contemporary military material relating to the battalion.
One inscription refers to A Company, although this does not by itself establish that Miles belonged to that company. The flag may have circulated among Marines from several companies, sections or support elements within the battalion.
The manner in which the Iraqi flag was originally obtained remains unknown. It may have been purchased locally, found, received from an Iraqi source or removed from an abandoned location.
Nothing written on the object identifies it as captured or records that it was taken from a particular military, government or Ba’ath Party building. It should therefore be described as a deployment souvenir, not as a confirmed captured flag or war trophy.
The flag was rediscovered in 2026 after being recovered from an abandoned storage unit in Florida. Small puncture marks near the upper corners and along the upper centre indicate that it had previously been displayed flat against a wall after its return to the United States.
Construction and technical observations
The underlying flag is distinctly different from a high-quality government or ceremonial flag. It is made from an extremely light synthetic material with a satin-like sheen and a loose, gauze-like structure.
The fabric is fragile, frays readily and has numerous loose threads around the seams and unfinished edges.
The red, white and black fields are separate pieces of cloth joined by uneven machine stitching. The overall workmanship is rough and irregular.
Part of the red field consists of more than one piece of fabric and appears to have been re-sewn, possibly after an earlier seam opened.
The hoist is formed as a simple narrow sleeve or tunnel intended to slide over a pole. There are no grommets, clips, rope or reinforced Western-style header.
The three green stars and Arabic inscription are applied only to the obverse. The application resembles thick paint or a heavy pigment-based print and has made the decorated area noticeably stiffer than the surrounding fabric.
The green design does not fully penetrate the cloth and is only weakly visible from the reverse.
The rough stitching, lightweight material, one-sided painted design and simple pole sleeve are consistent with inexpensive Iraqi manufacture. The flag may have been made by a small workshop, market vendor or other non-specialist producer using readily available materials.
These characteristics support an Iraqi or regional origin, although they cannot establish exactly where or under what circumstances the flag was obtained.
The inscriptions
The 59 recorded inscriptions transform an otherwise inexpensive flag into a collective personal record of the 2003 deployment.
They represent junior Marines, senior non-commissioned officers and United States Navy hospital corpsmen. Alongside names and ranks are hometowns, nicknames, Marine and Navy slogans, crude humour and brief references to shared experiences in Iraq.
The language is highly informal and often personal. This suggests that the flag was signed among deployed personnel rather than prepared later as an official commemorative or presentation object.
The signatures appear to have accumulated naturally as Miles passed the flag among people with whom he served.
Several inscriptions independently date the object to Iraq in 2003. These include variations of:
“Iraq 2003”
“Iraqi Freedom 03”
“Iraqi Tour 03”
“Spring Break Iraq 03”
The phrase “Spring Break Iraq 03” reflects the dark and irreverent humour commonly found among deployed military personnel. It also corresponds directly with the timing of the invasion, which began in March 2003.
The presence of Navy hospital corpsmen is entirely consistent with the Marine unit context. Navy corpsmen provide medical support to Marine formations and deploy alongside them as integral members of the unit.
All 59 recorded names have been identified or transcribed as part of the FlagGeek research process. Because many of the signers are probably still living, their names and personal messages are not published here out of respect for their privacy. The complete transcription is retained in the private FlagGeek research archive.
The Iraqi flag design
FG-061 represents the Iraqi national flag used from 1991 until 2004.
The basic design consists of three horizontal stripes in red, white and black, with three green stars in the white stripe.
In January 1991, shortly before the Gulf War, the Arabic takbir was added between the stars:
“God is greatest.”
The inscription is widely described in secondary historical and vexillological sources as having been reproduced from Saddam Hussein’s own handwriting.
This attribution became closely associated with the 1991 flag and was repeated extensively in later literature. However, the original documentation establishing precisely how the inscription was prepared is not readily available.
Some vexillological writers have therefore questioned whether the handwriting attribution became accepted primarily through repeated secondary accounts.
It is consequently most accurate to describe the script as traditionally or allegedly attributed to Saddam Hussein’s handwriting, rather than as an independently proven fact.
The 1991 design remained Iraq’s national flag during the coalition invasion in March 2003 and throughout the first year of the occupation.
It was altered in 2004, when the handwriting-style inscription was replaced by a more formal script. The flag subsequently underwent further alterations.
FG-061 therefore displays the historically correct Iraqi flag pattern for the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Reconnaissance Battalion in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Based on the researched names, FG-061 was signed by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during the battalion’s first Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.
The battalion left the United States in mid-January 2003. During approximately five weeks aboard ship, its Marines conducted intensive weapons, equipment and vehicle training.
After arriving in Kuwait, the battalion continued preparing through live-fire exercises.
The unit had been assigned a role different from a conventional dismounted reconnaissance mission. Its Marines would operate rapidly in armed Humvees carrying heavy weapons, allowing them to screen the advance, conduct reconnaissance and engage enemy positions while moving ahead of other elements of the 1st Marine Division.
1st Reconnaissance Battalion crossed from Kuwait into Iraq on 21 March 2003, during the opening phase of the invasion.
Its initial task was to establish screening positions in front of other Marine formations. The battalion then moved rapidly north and frequently operated at or near the leading edge of the division’s advance.
During the first days of the campaign, the Marines encountered relatively little resistance. That changed near An Nasiriyah at the end of March, when battalion elements passed through narrow streets under sustained fire from rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
A Company was positioned at the front of the column during part of the fighting. The Marines were operating from lightly protected Humvees, and the exposed vehicle gunners were particularly vulnerable.
Roads were obstructed by debris and abandoned vehicles, while wires had reportedly been stretched across routes at a height capable of striking Marines standing in vehicle weapon positions.
After breaking through the town, the battalion continued north and repeatedly made first contact with Iraqi positions before heavier follow-on forces arrived.
Its speed, vehicle-mounted firepower and ability to operate independently allowed it to remain ahead of much of the division.
A contemporary Marine Corps account describes 1st Reconnaissance Battalion as operating on the leading edge of the invasion.
The same account states that the battalion completed this campaign without a fatality and suffered two casualties. Navy reconnaissance corpsmen accompanied the Marines and provided medical support while operating under fire.
The battalion’s official first Operation Iraqi Freedom combat period in Iraq is generally recorded as March to June 2003.
The precise departure date of every individual signer has not been established. However, the battalion timeline and the inscriptions on FG-061 provide a probable signing window between:
21 March and approximately June 2003
It is possible that some inscriptions were added during staging or redeployment shortly after the battalion left active operations in Iraq.
There is presently no evidence supporting a signing date as late as October 2003.
The repeated references to Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom and the spring of 2003 are fully consistent with the battalion’s first invasion deployment.
Unit identification
The identification of FG-061 with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion is based primarily on the concentration of researched names rather than on a written unit designation.
Several uncommon names appearing on the flag correspond with Marines documented together in military archival material relating to the battalion’s 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.
Other names in the private transcription have also been connected with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the relevant period.
The accumulation of overlapping matches makes it unlikely that the flag was signed by an unrelated military group.
Based on the names researched, FG-061 was signed by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
The exact company, platoon or section remains unresolved.
At least one inscription references A Company, while other researched individuals appear to have been connected with Headquarters and Service Company or battalion support functions.
The flag may therefore have circulated more widely within the battalion rather than remaining inside one platoon.
PFC A. D. Miles’ precise assignment has not yet been established through an official roster or service record.
Assessment
FG-061 is best understood as the personal Operation Iraqi Freedom souvenir of PFC A. D. Miles, signed in Iraq in 2003 by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, together with attached United States Navy personnel.
The underlying Iraqi flag is cheaply and crudely manufactured, but this is part of its historical character rather than a defect in its provenance.
Its lightweight synthetic cloth, uneven machine stitching, simple pole sleeve and one-sided painted design are consistent with an inexpensive locally produced flag rather than an American-made commemorative reproduction.
The historical significance of FG-061 lies in its transformation from an ordinary Iraqi flag into a personal record of a specific group of deployed servicemen.
The 59 inscriptions preserve names, ranks, hometowns, nicknames, humour and direct references to Iraq during the opening invasion of 2003.
Its dating is supported internally by several independent inscriptions rather than by seller testimony alone. The researched names further connect the object with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and the battalion’s first Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.
The flag cannot currently be described as captured. It may have been purchased, found, received or removed from an abandoned location, but no inscription records its original acquisition.
Nor can it yet be assigned conclusively to a specific company, platoon, vehicle or team.
An Iraqi-made national flag used as PFC A. D. Miles’ personal deployment souvenir, signed in Iraq between March and approximately June 2003 by personnel of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, during the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Additional photographs
Sources & references
-
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton — “Recon ran gauntlet, but no one died.”
Contemporary Marine Corps account of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion’s preparation,
entry into Iraq on 21 March 2003, vehicle-based operations, rapid advance and combat
during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
pendleton.marines.mil -
Flags of the World — Evolution of the Iraqi Flag.
Secondary vexillological discussion of the 1991–2004 Iraqi national flag,
the addition of the takbir and the traditional attribution of the script
to Saddam Hussein’s handwriting.
crwflags.com -
Wikimedia Commons — “Flag of Iraq (1991–2004).”
Source for the reproduced illustration of the stylised Arabic
takbir used on the Iraqi national flag between 1991 and 2004.
The source file is identified as public domain.
commons.wikimedia.org - Private FlagGeek transcription of FG-061. Record of 59 names, ranks, hometowns, nicknames and inscriptions transcribed directly from the flag. The full transcription is retained in the private research archive and is not published on this page.
- Military archival personnel research. Comparison of uncommon names recorded on FG-061 with publicly available military records, archival photographs and unit material relating to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Author’s documentation. Physical examination, measurement, construction analysis and photographic documentation of specimen FG-061.
- Seller provenance. The flag was reportedly recovered from an abandoned storage unit in Florida shortly before its acquisition in 2026.
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