"Mission Accomplished" Banner Could Go on Display at Bush Library
One of the most infamous artifacts from George W. Bush's presidency, the 2003 "Mission Accomplished" banner, may end up on display at Mr. Bush's presidential library.
On May 1, 2003, Mr. Bush told soldiers aboard the USS Lincoln that major combat operations in Iraq were over. After landing on the aircraft carrier in a jet and strutting out in a flight suit, Mr. Bush delivered the speech underneath the "Mission Accomplished" banner.
Now that ground has broken in the construction of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, the director of the library and museum told USA Today that a decision on how or whether to display the banner has yet to be made.
The military sent the banner to the National Archives in 2005, and about six months ago it was sent to the temporary site for Mr. Bush's library in Lewisville, Texas. The new, permanent library is slated to open in 2013.
The banner will become a part of the library's collection, along with other documents and memorabilia from the Bush presidency.
The White House provided the banner for the 2003 event at the Navy's request, USA Today reports. However, Mr. Bush wrote in his new memoir "Decision Points" that flying the banner was a mistake.
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