A veteran in Prince George's County, Maryland, lost an heirloom burial flag on Central Avenue two weeks ago — but another veteran and some police work led to a very special reunion on Tuesday.
Vietnam War veteran William Holley was moving when he lost the burial flag, which had been in his family for more than 30 years. It was given to his wife when her uncle, World War I veteran Marcellus Herod, died.
He was so upset by the flag's unexpected dissappearance that he couldn't bring himself to tell his daughter what had happened.
"She caught me by surprise when she said 'Do you still have uncle Marcellus's flag?'" Holley said. "I said, 'No, it fell off the truck,'"
Luckily, Navy veteran Tom Jerrett found the flag on the road, where it was folded and in a shattered display case.
"We have to help others, we have to help the community, and serve the community in every way possible," Jerrett said.
The way he found the flag let Jerrett know that it was important to somebody — so he turned it in to police.
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Prince George's County officers then helped the flag get back to its owner.
Holley's daughter saw news reports about a flag that had been found, and Holley got it back in a ceremony on Tuesday.
"It tells me veterans still look after vets," Holley said.
