Iraq Veteran Pleads For The Return Of The Flag He Brought Home From War

I’m going to be honest, I’m having a difficult time understanding what’s going on here…I’ve tried to find some clarification on a few details, but haven’t been able to yet.

But I really, REALLY hope this man gets his flag back.

According to Fox News:

An Iraq war veteran is asking for the return of an American flag that was recently stolen from him that he says has sentimental value.

Nolan Gomez said he usually flies the flag from his truck but took it off when he was doing some yard work. He placed it in a cone along the road, ran an errand and discovered it was gone when he came back.

I’m very confused by this. He put it inside a road cone? Am I understanding that correctly?

When they say he “ran an errand” … did he LEAVE the area? Or did he just run inside for a moment? Was someone literally watching for him to go inside to take his flag out of the cone?

If it was in a cone along the road and he wasn’t in the area…Could it be that whoever took it didn’t really know what they were dealing with?

“It’s the ultimate disrespect to any soldier that has served their country,” Gomez told KIRO-TV.

Someone stole this #Tacoma veteran’s #AmericanFlag. He used to keep it flying out of his truck. Now he says a piece of him is missing. 💔😢

Zoom in & you can see faded spots – blood stains from a friend he lost. The pole is made from a yellow broomstick.

Pls RT! @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/Ox7MHPPdtF

— Deedee Sun (@DeedeeKIRO7) July 22, 2018

The flag was particularly special to Gomez, who told news stations that it was given to him by a boy in Iraq in 2007. Later, after a roadside bomb injured his team, he said he used the flag as a tourniquet on his friend who ended up losing his legs.

Wow…

That friend eventually died by suicide. The flag, Gomez said, has his friend’s blood on the bottom four stripes.

“It’s showing that I have pride in what I’ve done, and I love my country,” Gomez, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, told KIRO. “No matter what I’ve been through, I love my country, and I want everybody to see that.”

“I just pray that whoever has that flag can find it in them as a human – and as a God-fearing American – to turn it back in,” he said.

I really hope he gets it back.

Neighbor Kim Phillips helped make a sign that pleads for the return of the sign.

“I just can’t imagine doing that to someone who has served for our freedom,” Phillips told KOMO-TV.

A few neighborhood kids who saw Gomez’s story gave him a flag that belonged to their uncle. Gomez said the gesture meant a lot to him.

While the blood on the flag has faded, Gomez said the stains are still visible. He also said the flagpole is a yellow broom handle with wire around it.