An Army Soldier continued an old tradition of bestowing a US flag from a combat theatre upon a significant person.

Detective Andrew Gordon of the South Charleston Police Department was surprised when a package arrived at the police department all the way from Kuwait. Inside were an American flag, a plaque and a certificate thanking Gordon and the police department for helping a local National Guardsman get back some of his stolen property.

The Soldier’s home was burglarized while he was deployed, and he felt the officer went beyond the call.  Like flags flown by aircraft in combat, the flag had a unique history in combat:

The flag that arrived at the department included a certificate explaining that it had flown over Camp Patriot, Kuwait, where [Ian] Sparks had been deployed.

The combat “souvenirs” remain a common way for military members to recognize and honor those who have supported them from back home.