Folded American Flag Found On PG County Road Has Incredible Story

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Tom Jarrett was driving along Central Avenue in Prince George's County earlier this month when he noticed something strange in the roadway: a folded American flag in a shattered glass display case, the kind given on special occasions to veterans and their families. That discovery kicked off a two-week search for the owner of the flag, and the unfolding of an incredible story.

The flag itself was in "pristine" condition despite the damage to the display case, and Jarrett -- who himself is a Navy veteran -- knew this was no ordinary flag, according to a report from the Prince George's County Police Department.

So he took the flag to a local police station where five PGPD officers, all of whom were military veterans, took it upon themselves to find its owner.

Not long after the incident was publicized, a woman who saw the flag's story on the news called her father, 79-year-old William Holley of Prince George's County, and asked if it may have been his flag, and he confirmed that it was.

The flag certainly was special: it was given to the family after the passing of 90-year-old Marcellus Herod, who was one of 380,000 African-American soldiers to fight in Europe during World War I. Holley had married his niece -- who died in 1984 -- and was the one in possession of the flag.

How did the flag end up on a county highway? As it turns out, Holley was moving and had his truck "filled to the brim with boxes and household items," the report states.

"During the trip, while stopped at a light, he said a stranger pulled up to next to his truck and said they had just seen something drop out of his truck," the report adds. "Holley turned around and retraced his journey but the flag was gone. Unbeknownst to Holley, another kind stranger, Tom Jarrett, had already picked it up."

The two men met for the first time on Tuesday, and the PGPD Honor Guard handed the lost flag to Chief Hank Stawinski who returned it to Holley -- himself an Army veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.

You can find the name of Marcellus Herod today on a small plaque that sits next to a pew at Brown Memorial AME Church in Northeast D.C. Herod and his wife faithfully attended the church.

It was Holley's wife who placed her uncle's flag in a glass display case, and it was prominently displayed in the family home for more than 30 years.

"It was a centerpiece honoring love of country and of service to others," PGPD wrote. "And now its return serves as a reminder to us all of the kindness of strangers."