MIAMI (WSVN) - A Florida woman is on a mission to find the family of a fallen hero after she found a folded American flag on a Miami street.
Laura Mariotti found the flag, which was folded in a triangle, on a busy road, in late January. The Cape Coral resident believes that the flag belongs with a fallen soldier.
“We noticed the flag in the middle of the road being repeatedly run over, so we were compelled to turn around and stop and take it,” Mariotti said.
She said that this comes close to home. “My father is a Vietnam vet, and my grandfathers both served in World War II,” Mariotti said, “so for that reason, it’s particularly important to me.”
Traditionally, flags folded in this manner are presented to the next of kin when members of the military pass away.
“There’s a sequence when they fold the flag into a triangle with the blue and the white stars and they place it on the casket,” said Tom Clifford, who’s with The American Legion.
The flag is usually accompanied by a name plate, but this one did not have one.
Mariotti is hoping that by getting the word out, she can reunite the flag with the right family. “We’ve been making a lot of effort getting the word out there,” she said. “Being that it’s in Miami, we’re going to need someone who has connections over there to hopefully get it circulated.”
Steps for the proper care, handling and even disposal of American flags are outlined in the United States flag code.
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