An elderly Vietnam veteran, who earned the prestigious Purple Heart, felt “heartbroken” after thieves took his American flag from the porch of his California home.
James White, 85, proudly displayed the flag at his front door to pay tribute to his 20 years of service in the U.S. Army and to honor the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers.
One January morning, to his dismay, he found that all the flags, along with their poles, had vanished from his home in Sacramento.
Home security footage captured a white man dressed in a security vest, a black hat, and a medical mask, as he removed the flagpole with the flag still attached, disappearing down the street.
“It hurt. For someone to do something like that, to steal a flag,” White expressed.
“I fought for that flag. There was a flag before I served, but it represents America. It’s for everyone,” he added, visibly passionate about the flag’s significance.
His daughter, Daisy Hernandez, pointed out that the theft felt like a blatant “violation” that “really hurt him.”
Hernandez mentioned that White is already dealing with serious health issues, including stage 4 prostate cancer and chronic kidney disease.
“They have no idea who that flag belongs to or the story behind the man that owned it. That’s just not right,” she remarked.
In his earlier days, White served as a tanker in the 4th Division of the 68th Armored Regiment. He was stationed briefly in Germany before being sent to Vietnam when the conflict kicked off, where he spent a significant part of his military career.
He admitted he “never wanted to” be in Vietnam, a fear sparked by his unit’s encounter with an unusually large snake in the woods.
After completing his military service, White dedicated another 20 years to working for the U.S. Postal Service.
His family has since filed a police report, hoping to recover both the flag and find the thief.
