An 85-year-old Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, James White, was “heartbroken” after a thief stole the American flag that he proudly displayed on the porch of his California home.
White, who served two decades in the US Army, hung the flag to honor his service and the sacrifices of his fellow infantrymen. The theft occurred in broad daylight, leaving the elderly veteran distraught and feeling a profound sense of disrespect for his service.
In January, the veteran awoke to a disheartening sight, the American flag, including its pole, had been stolen from the doorstep of his Sacramento home. This brazen act of theft, an offense to both property and patriotism, was captured clearly on the veteran’s home security camera.
Footage of the incident, later shared with local news outlet KCRA, showed a white man, wearing a security vest, a black hat, and a medical mask, methodically detaching the flag and pole. After the theft, the individual calmly walked away down the street with the stolen items.
“That hurts me. That somebody would do something like that, steal a flag,” White told the KCRA.
“I fought for that flag,” White passionately stated. “I mean that flag was there before I fought, but I fought for that flag. It’s an American flag, it’s for the United States. For everybody.”
Daisy Hernandez, White’s daughter, described the theft as a blatant “violation” that “really hurt him.”
According to Hernandez, White is facing a difficult time. He is already grappling with significant health issues, including stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic kidney disease, which are worsening the challenges he currently faces and placing a considerable burden on his well-being.
“They have no idea who that flag belonged to or the story behind the man it belonged to. It’s just not right,” she told the outlet.
During his service, White was a dedicated tanker in the Fourth of the 68th Armor Regiment. His military journey began with a deployment to Germany, where he spent his initial period of service.
However, with the escalation of the battles, he was subsequently transferred to Vietnam at the beginning of the war, a move that would define the majority of his distinguished military career in combat.
White told the outlet, plainly, that they definitely “wouldn’t want to be” in Vietnam during the war. This sentiment stemmed from a harrowing discovery his unit made in the dense forests, where they encountered abnormally large and dangerous snakes.
After his decorated military retirement, White spent twenty more years in public service, working for the US Postal Service until his second retirement.
His family has since filed an official police report, hoping the authorities can find both the thief responsible for the brazen theft and the profoundly nostalgic missing flag.
READ ALSO: Veteran commander launches program to help other veterans transition into lucrative jobs
