On View
Military History Gallery
Exhibition
Double Victory: The African American Military Experience
Created by
Unidentified
Subject of
Sergeant Charlton, Cornelius H., American, 1929 - 1951
Received by
Penn Papadopoulus, Fairy Mae, American, died 2010
Used by
United States Army, American, founded 1775
Date
2008
Medium
cotton (textile)
Dimensions
H x W x D (folded): 10 7/8 × 22 1/2 × 3 1/8 in. (27.6 × 57.2 × 7.9 cm)
Caption
This American flag was draped over the coffin of Sgt. Cornelius H. Charlton during his reburial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 2008.
Sergeant Charlton served in C Company, 24th Infantry Regiment, during the Korean War. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions on June 2, 1951, near Chipo-ri, Korea. After his wounded platoon leader was evacuated during an attack to capture Hill 543, Charlton "rallied the men" and led them on three separate assaults. During the first assault, he eliminated two enemy positions, killing six. Although seriously wounded in the next two assaults, Charlton conducted a fourth assault alone. He was wounded again by a grenade but silenced the enemy guns before he died.
Description
Ceremonial United States burial flag presented to Sergeant Cornelius H. Charlton's sister, Fairy Mae Papadopoulus, upon his reburial at Arlington National Cemetery on November 12, 2008. Flag has been folded thirteen times into a triangle with the field of stars visible. Border stitching done with blue thread.
Place used
Arlington County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Sergeant Cornelius H. Charlton Collection
Classification
Textiles and Quilts
Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
Type
funeral palls
flags
Topic
Funeral customs and rites
Korean War, 1950-1953
Military
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of George "Everett" Penn, Jr.
Object number
2015.193.1
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e2b18062-1df3-48ae-b09c-e01b142ae49d

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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