Name/Title
Signal FlagDescription
A square, red and white flag with colors bisecting on the diagonal. The flag has two sets of cloth string on both corners of the red half of the flag along with a small cloth loop in between.Use
Signal flags are used in the Navy as a method of voiceless, visual communication. The flag would have originally been tied to a wooden dowl as a part of this method and used in random with another signal flag.Context
This piece was picked up and collected by James "Doc" Pueschel during his Vietnam service. A Navy corpsman attached to the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, Mike Company during the Vietnam War, Pueschel was one of many Navy medical personnel attached to a Marine unit.
Ultimately only in country 75 days (March 17 -June 1, 1968) Pueschel was attached to Mike Company, tasked with protecting truck convoys along Route 9 to and from Khe Sanh Combat Base. On May 31st, 1968, a booby-trapped M-16 set off an explosion that tore through the company.
After the explosion and sustained firefighting with the Viet Cong, backup arrived, and Pueschel was medevac'd with all the Mike Company marines. Mike Company took 100% casualties, with their Navy corpsman taking four injuries while attempting to patch men up during combat.Collection
James "Doc" Pueschel CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2024.43Source or Donor
Paula PueschelAcquisition Method
DonationUpdate Date
March 10, 2025