Story highlights Washington state man received banner from friend, but was unaware of its importance

Brian Browne turned it in after seeing television documentary

(CNN) For eight years, Brian Browne preserved an American flag in a storage trunk and the freezer of his Everett, Washington, home -- unaware it was a piece of history.

The unknown treasure was the iconic flag that three New York City firefighters hoisted above the ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks -- a defiant act captured in an indelible newspaper photo. The flag disappeared, but resurfaced in 2014 in Everett.

The man who returned it to a local fire station only said then that he was once a Marine, and his name was "Brian." Then he left.

Browne, 46, a flag collector, is revealing himself and the tale of how the flag, which was wrapped in a grocery paper bag, ended up in his possession, nearly 2,900 miles away.

Everett police confirmed Browne's identity on Tuesday.

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