Larry Eckhardt is in debt. Larry Eckhardt drove 11 hours. Larry Eckhardt travelled 602 miles. Larry Eckhardt did it all for a stranger whom he'd never met, never known, and never know. Larry is known throughout the country as the “flag man.” He drives all over, no matter how far away, to honor fallen veterans.
On this trip, Larry has chose to honor Private First Class Dustin Gross, who was killed by enemy rockets in Afghanistan. Many people don’t show up to honor vets, sometimes no one shows up, but Larry does and he’s ready with his flags. That's the thing; most people don't think to make a big deal about fallen soldiers. But it is a very big deal to give your life to protect the lives of others. So when Larry puts up his flags, when he sets up 2,000 for Dustin Gross along the road — all of a sudden people show up.
The rows of American flags signal the community to gather round and salute a hero. No one was planning on turning up for Dustin Gross' funeral, then suddenly cops, bikers, kids, and families stretch the procession for miles. Larry's been doing this for six years and he’s in debt because of it. But it makes no difference to him, it’s a debt he will readily take on to pay back the fallen soldiers who have paid the price of freedom with their own lives.
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