The American flag represents freedom and justice. It symbolizes valor, hardships, and perseverance.
A Bardstown woman knows the importance of the flag, particularly to soldiers.
Katie Marks was at a peddler’s mall when she saw a memorial flag. At that moment, she felt a burning sense of purpose to get it back to where it belongs.
In an interview with WHAS11, she shared:
“Sitting on top of this plastic shelf with other little trinkets was a flag with someone’s name and a date and it definitely looked out of place.”
The folded American flag was priced at $45.
https://www.facebook.com/1178026965637182/photos/p.1608566865916521/1608566865916521/?type=3
She found the idea of attributing any kind of value to something like that ridiculous. It’s a priceless piece that people shouldn’t be using to earn money.
Katie went searching for the true owners of the flag.
She learned that it was issued to Samuel A. Steward. He used to serve in the Army before passing away when he was just 40 years old.
A couple of days later, Katie returned to buy the flag.
She went on a special mission. She was set on bringing the flag back to Samuel’s family.
It wasn’t an easy process.
After a couple of dead-ends, she managed to reach Samuel’s nephew. He lives in Petersburg, Indiana which was about three hours away from her.
The nephew shared that they’d experienced difficult times.
He revealed that his fiance delivered a stillborn child. With all the medical bills the family had to pay, they ended up in a financial crisis. It forced them to sell a storage unit where the flag was stored.
Katie shared:
“The storage unit that they had ended up being one of those that had to get pushed back to the side. The storage unit contained the flag along with birth certificates and old family photos, and they lost it.”
After hearing the story, Katie knew that she had to do more than just return the flag.
She started a GoFundMe account for the family. Her initial goal was just $1,000. However, with help from the community, she was able to get it to just over $2,000.
Katie’s mission went public.
The American Legion Riders of Post 157 learned about it. Based in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, the group volunteered to go with Katie. They offered to escort her and the flag for the three-hour trip.
A member of the group, Dale McKinney, shared:
“It was a no-brainer. I said yes for the whole bunch and then told everybody we were going to do it. It’s a veteran’s funeral flag. It shouldn’t be in a peddler’s mall. It should be with the family.”
For Katie and the group, it was more than just a flag.
It’s valuable to someone and they wanted to make sure that it’s treasured. For sure, Samuel’s family is so happy to get the flag back. When they thought they wouldn’t be able to see it again, a group of kind strangers stepped in.
Watch the full story of Samuel’s flag below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=315936155619268
