Description
Folded American flag. On the left trim is handwritten text that reads: "5/1/11 | Geronimo 'N.S'."

Historical Notes
After a nearly 10-year-long hunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, U.S. intelligence agencies identified his hideout in Pakistan. On May 1, 2011 (EST), two Black Hawk helicopters flew a team of U.S. Navy SEALs from neighboring Afghanistan to raid that hideout as part of Operation Neptune’s Spear. Two Chinook helicopters followed with a contingency force. A Chinook helicopter pilot wore this flag tucked into the armored plate of his flight gear during the operation. After returning to base, he wrote, “5/1/11 Geronimo ‘NS’” on the pole hem. Geronimo was the code name intelligence officials used to refer to bin Laden. NS refers to the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as Night Stalkers, which flew the mission.