A FedEx driver in North Carolina was reportedly captured this week on a home security camera hanging up an American flag that was on the ground and giving it a salute.
The footage showed the FedEx driver stopping for a moment as he noticed that the flag had fallen into the bushes in front of a house in the town of Mathews, North Carolina, CBS News' WJZY reported.
After noticing the flag on the ground, the driver placed a package he was holding on the ground and walked over to pick the flag up and hang it. He then gave the flag a salute before he left.
Homeowner, Karla Cruz, reportedly watched the incident that was captured on her security camera and felt pleased by the FedEx driver's actions.
"I was like, 'Oh, he's gonna fix the flag, that's a really kind act,'" Cruz said, according to WJZY. "And then he salutes it, and my heart melts. I thought, maybe he's a veteran."
The homeowner said that she now wants to find the FedEx driver to acknowledge his action.
According to the news outlet, Cruz takes great pride in honoring the flag as it symbolizes her family's journey from Mexico.
"We came here and we adore Mexico. But we adore this country and the opportunities it brought our family. America brought us the American Dream," she said. "We got a house here. It's been amazing. The fact that he [the FedEx driver] came and put our flag up is great."
The American flag has been honored by citizens in various ways over the past few months including in dire situations. During the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, a U.S. embassy staffer saved the flag from being burned as staff members were being evacuated.
Embassy staffers were told to destroy any materials that the Taliban could use as propaganda. Those materials included all American flags, papers, electronics, and sensitive items with embassy or agency logos.
The American flag, however, was "meaningful" to the staffer and he wanted to keep it, according to J.P. Lawrence, a reporter at Stars and Stripes.
Many Americans honor the U.S. flag year-round during numerous occasions including Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Similar instances include Flag Day, which is observed across the U.S. every year on June 14, as a day to commemorate the adoption of the American flag, but it is celebrated as a state holiday only in Pennsylvania.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more
