Police officer praised for fixing upside-down American flag: 'It's a symbol of freedom'
A police officer in Independence, Mo., is being praised by people throughout the country for his outstanding effort to fix an American flag that was found hanging upside down.
On Saturday, Independence Police Officer David Wehlermann was responding to a call when he drove by a large flag that was incorrectly displayed outside a local business, and he immediately decided that it needed to be put back to its rightful position. He got in touch with the business owners, who said that they couldn’t get it fixed until Monday. Luckily, he was able to change that.
“They said they got a lot of angry calls from passersby about the flag upside down, so I called dispatch and requested that a ladder truck come out, and the great crew of Ladder 2 came out and fixed the flag,” Wehlermann told Fox News. “It’s a symbol of freedom for the world, and I want it to be rightly displayed.”
Soon after, the Independence Police Department (IPD) took to its Facebook page to honor the efforts made by all of those involved, which sparked a viral reaction.
“That is truly awesome!” one commenter wrote. “So many people disrespect the flag these days. It is so good to see that there are still people that care and act with respect to the flag!”
“Thank you, Officer Wehlermann. I wish more people respected the flag and what it stands for. Prayers for your safety and good health,” wrote another.
According to the Facebook post, Wehlermann is also an Air Force veteran.
Of his fellow officer’s good deed, Independence Police Officer John Syme said that it’s just another example of an officer going beyond the call of duty.
“We know firsthand that every day our officers perform tasks that go above and beyond what they are asked, but we rarely hear about them because they are humble about what they do and don’t do them to be in the spotlight,” Syme tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “We are thankful for Officer Wehlermann’s service to our great nation and his continued service to the citizens of our community.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Alum claims Stanford University administrator told him to remove American flag outside fraternity house
• Marine vet folds fallen American flag while driving for FedEx: ‘Just doing what was right’
• Woman praises man who returned an American flag to her home properly folded: ‘I am honored that you know flag etiquette’
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