Vietnam War Veteran, Sergeant Aldan “Tripwire” Mulwane, found a rare, war-torn, 48 star flag, at a local estate sale, had it restored, and will be donating it to the Guilford Historical Society Museum to be proudly unveiled on Flag Day. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

GUILFORD – Aldan Mulwane, also known by “Tripwire” served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War earning the rank of Sergeant. Since returning home he has become a collector of all things historical, with a tendency to find items related to the military. Muldane is a member of the Guilford Historical Society, Senior Vice-President of the VFW post 3529, an avid antique collector, and proud Vietnam War Veteran. Upon entering an estate sale in Guilford, Mulwane, found an area that had as he described, a bunch of flags.

“And I see one tore, and I picked it up, and I said, wait a minute,” said Mulwane. “This is 48 Star. It's got holes in it. It's ripped. Are you kidding me? It's a war-torn distressed flag,” he continued to say, describing the moment where he discovered the artifact with reverence.

From the moment he discovered the rare flag, he knew that he had to have it restored and displayed somewhere where others could appreciate it and reflect on history. He took it to Che Bella Custom Framing in Binghamton for restoration and framing, paying for it out of pocket.

On Flag Day, June 14 2026, the war-torn 48-star flag found by Sergeant Aldan “Tripwire” Muldane, will be proudly unveiled at the Guilford Historical Society Museum.

“I want to put it in a place of honor where people can see it,” said Mulwane when explaining his choice to donate it to the museum in Guilford.

Mulwane has been carefully planning his speech for the flag's unveiling at the museum, choosing each word carefully.

Finding a war-torn flag held significance to Tripwire as he felt it somehow represented him. He explained how he enlisted in the Army and was sent directly overseas, with no stateside duty. In Vietnam he served as a Quartermaster Cook in a medical unit. Being in the medical unit he said he would feed POWs after the medics were done with them, and that he saw what people were like all over the place.

From the moment he returned from war in the middle of a severe lightning storm his mother told him he came back different. He said he wasn't treated very well upon his return and battled with PTSD but now is able to talk about the experience.

While we don't know the exact story behind this specific war-torn flag, Mulwane says that it having 48 stars could place it being made any time from 1912 to 1959. It could have served in either World War, Korea, or the early Cold War. It showed battle damage, heavy wear, and held sentimental value to some to have been saved for this long.

“The flag is still there [in the war], although it's here, right? In memory, it's still over there. And the flag was treated the same way that I was feeling. A lot of vets might have it different, but it felt like how I felt. So I think that flag is more important to bring out. You know, it's a lot like me, I guess,” said Mulwane.