Special Delivery: An 1880s Flag Made Its Way to 1940s Japan

Navy Lt. John Bremyer delivered precious cargo on a 9,000-mile journey to the ceremony of Japan’s surrender of World War II.

A close-up view of the plaque aboard the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB-63) that commemorates the end of World War II. Public Domain

It came as a surprise to young Navy officer Lt. John Bremyer on Aug. 23, 1945 that he was suddenly tasked with delivering a special American flag 9,000 miles away. After Japan expressed the desire to officially end World War II, Bremyer embarked upon a 124-hour journey to bring the flag to the ceremony of surrender.

Bremyer was working a normal day at his desk job at the Messenger Mail Center in the “Main Navy” complex in Washington, when he received unusual orders. A few days earlier, Fleet Adm. William Halsey had made plans to hold the official Japanese surrender onboard the battleship USS Missouri since the ship was the flagship of U.S. Pacific Third Fleet and it was named after President Harry Truman’s home state.