WEST POINT, Utah — A West Point military family is touched by the act of kindness of a father and son who stop to pick up and properly fold their fallen American flag.
The flagpole in front of the Martinez home used to be twelve feet tall, but this weekend’s winds got the best of it.
“It totally snapped it apart,” said Amy Martinez.
For couple Jason and Amy Martinez, the symbol of the flag means everything.
“My grandpa was in the Navy, my dad was in the Army, brother Air Force, and now our youngest son is in the Navy,” said Amy.
Jason is retired from the U.S. Air Force and his grandfather, father, and brother also served.
The Martinez’s were out of town when their flag pole fell to the ground. Their security camera captured a father and son return their flag to their front porch.
“They didn’t just pick it up. They folded it and hand-delivered it to us,” said Jason.
“I just really wanted to thank them because that means a lot to us,” said Amy.
Amy posted in a Facebook group to try and track them down. That’s when she discovered it was the West Point mayor, Brian Vincent, and his 17-year-old son, Jaxon.
“There’s so much political strife that the flag still represents all of us as a country,” he said. “This is our unifying symbol and it’s something that needs to be cared for and taken care of.”
Vincent said his family happened to be driving by and saw the flag on the ground.
“I’ve been in Scouts my whole life, and that’s one of the first thing we were taught is how to properly take care of a flag,” said Jaxon.
The family does not know the Martinez’s or their service background.
“It’s just really special that we were able to do it for that family especially because of who served in their family,” said Jaxon.
“I just happened to be the one driving by, but I know that the residents here would have done the same thing,” said the mayor.
Amy and Jason hope to have their flagpole fixed and their American flag flying in time of the Fourth of July.
“It’s awesome that we live in a community that respects the symbolism,” said Jason.
