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Trooper rescues American flag after spotting it on highway
The dash cam captured his actions on film.
Mary Rose Garra
10.14.21

Do you have a flag in your house?

A flag is used as a symbol of a given nation, whether you have one at home or not.

It is a piece of fabric usually rectangular or quadrilateral with a unique design and colors.

Flickr - Tom Page
Source:
Flickr - Tom Page

How far are you willing to go to protect your country’s flag?

Think about it. As you drive down the road, you notice a helpless American flag fumbling in the wind. What are you going to do?

Pexels - Matthis Volquardsen
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Pexels - Matthis Volquardsen

The actions of one Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) trooper have received a lot of attention on social media.

Trooper Jason Buratczuk has a good heart and a keen eye.

To honor the flag and those who lost their lives to defend it, he picked up an American flag on the side of the interstate.

YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas

“It’s not just a piece of fabric, it’s a symbol of our country people have bled and died for that,” Buratczuk told FOX5 Las Vegas.

The rescue of the American flag from the side of the freeway was captured on dashcam video.

When Buratczuk was driving northbound on I-15 around Sahara Avenue one day, something on the side of the road caught his eye.

Unsplash - Xingye Jiang
Source:
Unsplash - Xingye Jiang

He noticed a flag on the side of the road and refused to let it stay there.

“I just happened to see something on the left, it was probably a flag. I had to flip around and go back around,” Buratczuk recalled.

“It was pretty safe. I had a nice safe buffer so I got out picked the flag up.”

YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas

The video has been viewed over a hundred thousand times online.

“That’s no place for a flag to sit on the side of the road,” Buratczuk said.

Trooper Jason Buratczuk expressed surprise that word of his simple act had spread throughout the country.

“A lot of people are putting a heroic truth. It wasn’t heroic it was just
doing the right thing,” he explained.

YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas

“I was thinking how could someone let this fall off their car? I think it’s just it was important for me to pick it up,” the trooper shared.

The Nevada Highway Patrol trooper’s family is made up of veterans.

Buratczuk, like his brother, father, grandparents, and cousins, is a veteran. He said 9/11 inspired him to serve his country by enlisting in the Air Force.

YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas

What happened after NHP trooper Buratczuk picked up the fallen flag?

He went to a nearby American Legion, where another veteran would properly retire the flag in a solemn and proper burning ceremony.

Its definition states that,

“National flags are patriotic symbols with widely varied interpretations that often include strong military associations because of their original and ongoing use for that purpose.”

YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - FOX5 Las Vegas

No wonder why the American flag is so significant to Buratczuk.

According to FOX5, this is trooper Buratczuk’s third stop to retrieve a fallen flag. And he says this one was very tattered from flying in the wind.

The NHP trooper sent out a message to everyone that will make you think as well.

“Maybe this, we’d be better off if everyone could just take a minute and think about what you know the flag actually represents and what it means to people.”

Watch the video below to see this veteran’s patriotic act!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family!

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