Boy Uses His Body As a Shield When Friends Struggle to Fold American Flag on Windy Day

Illustration - Shutterstock

While most of us know the importance of showing respect to the American flag, the degree of patriotism differs for everyone. For three young boys in Idaho, their level of patriotism is unquestionable.

In September 2018, Amanda Reallan was waiting to pick up her children from Hayden Meadows Elementary School when she noticed something that left her in awe.

Three fifth-graders—Naylan Tuttle, Jack LeBreck, and Casey Dolan—were trying to fold the U.S. flag properly after taking it down. As it was a windy day, the boys had a hard time making sure the flag didn’t touch the ground.

“This is our nation’s flag, this is our school’s flag, it’s how we represent our country,” Jack told KHQ. “If you let it touch the ground then you disrespect our country is what I heard.”

So, he decided to lie on the ground to protect the flag.

The U.S. flag code states that the flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.

“We’ve had a bunch of close calls,” Jack told KREM. “But I thought it would happen because it was kind of a windy day. So I just thought of laying down… and seeing what would happen.”

“It was a beautiful act patriotism,” Reallan recalled to InsideEdition.com. “I was like ‘wow that was just amazing.’ I don’t even know these boys honestly.”

Reallan took the photo to social media and wrote, “I just watched the most amazing act of Patriotism!”

She added, “This needs to go viral!”

Since then, the post has gone viral and racked up 35,000 shares.

One user wrote, “I’m so PROUD of these boys!!!”

While another commented, “Future law men.”

The three boys, who are in Cub Scouts, credited their actions to the school’s custodian, Mac McCarty, a 20-year air force veteran.

“What they did yesterday was obviously all them… laying on the ground and all that,” said McCarty, who had selected the boys to put up and take down the flag. “And I’m very proud.”

“They did themselves proud, they did their families proud, they did their school proud, and I am very proud of them,” he added.

Illustration - Shutterstock | David Lee

And the boys feel honored to be able to put up and take down the flag.

“It’s really a great privilege,” Casey said. “I feel really lucky I was chosen for it.”

After the post went viral, Naylan, whose father is in the military, jokingly said: “It felt like… I was gonna be like ‘hey mom, I should be an actor some day.’”

“I think it would be very honorable for me, my dad and my grandfather, they’ve been in the service, in the military, so I probably think I would make them proud,” Naylan added.

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