When Walter Brown went to a flea market in Texas he couldn’t believe what turned up there. He found the flag and started investigating the writing. The flag seemed out of place and he wondered what it was doing there. It turned out to be an unbelievable find.
Surprise Find
Walter continued to decipher the writing on the flag and when he looked up at his wife there were tears in her eyes. The longer he examined the flag, the more he became aware of what exactly he had found that day.
Just Looking For A Holster
Walter Brown and his wife, Lanie, had gone to the flea market hunting for a new holster for their Walther P22. It just so happened at as they were looking through all the items that were for sale they put their hands upon something that was to turn out to be a rare and unique find.
Both Walter and Lanie have connections to the US Marines so the items were particularly poignant for them.
Little did they know what will happen next...
Flag Misplaced
Fred Yahne, the owner of the flea market, had noticed the flag during an inventory check. Fred runs the market so spends a lot of time buying items from abandoned storage and he then sells them on, so everything is checked before it goes on sale.
He knew the flag was unusual so he put it to one side aiming to look at it more closely later, but he got involved in other things and the flag got forgotten….
Flag Gone
Fred Yahne is a busy man and his attention had to be focused elsewhere. During that time a lot of customers started arriving and his wife began to sell the contents of their stall – it seems the flag was among the items she sold and Fred just forgot all about it.
When the details of what the flag was came to light he was pretty disappointed because he had really wanted to get a good look at it and see what it was.
Something Special
So back to Walter Brown’s visit to the flea market. Walter was browsing the stall and saw a pile of folded flags, but there was something special about this one so he decided to examine it more closely.
As he looked over the flag the realization dawned on Walter and tears filled his eyes as he realized what exactly was so specific about this particular flag.
Defaced Flag
Walker carefully deciphered the handwriting on the flag and then he knew he was not leaving the market without it. His wife agreed, especially once she had read the words herself.
Walter and Lanie prepared to hand over the $15 dollars for the flag but the seller reduced it to $5 because of the writing, saying that the flag was defaced.
Recognizing One Of His Own
The two words that really piqued Walter and Lanie’s interest were “Lance Corporal”, a rank that is unique to the US Marines.
Walter himself has served with the corps and with his knowledge and by continuing to read the flag’s inscription it became clear to the couple that this flag had once belonged to someone who would have treasured it deeply.
Messages From Marines
Written on the flag where several messages addressed to “Fred,” and saying who they will remember him always. The name “Cheeks” was on there too.
The Brown’s started to ask questions – Who was Fred? Was ‘Cheeks’ his nickname? Or possibly his family name? Why would someone have written on the flag? It turns out that their own son-in-law would have the answers they were looking for.
Tribute Flag
Walter had been a marine and so, more recently he was able to explain that they had bought a tribute flag. These flags are written on by everyone in a unit to pay tribute to a marine that had been killed.
The Brown’s realized that this flag was not theirs to keep but that they should try to find Fred’s family and return it to them.
Help From Their Daughter
Finding Fred with nothing more than his first name was going to be difficult. Luckily Walter and Lanie’s daughter Catie is really tech savvy and so she was able to use the internet to track Fred’s family down.
Showing the most amazing detective skills she went onto social media and looked for the family. Even then she had a lot of trouble locating the family of this fallen Marine and then one day she had a stroke of luck when she finally found a photo of him online.
Lance Corporal Fred Maciel
After finding the image, Catie identified the owner of the flag as Lance Corporal Fred Maciel and through that was able to locate his mother, Patsy Maciel. Once she found her Catie let her know that her parents had found her son’s tribute flag.
Maciel spoke to Catie, saying how she had begged her son not to join the Marines, but in 2003 he signed up. Despite her best efforts and days of tears Patsy lost the battle and, eventually, also her son.
“His Dream Was To Be A Marine”
Fred had been deployed to Iraq and in 2005, before he had even reached his 21st birthday, Fred Maciel was killed. His mother found out about the accident when she was alerted to news reports of an accident in the area.
Despite this, his mom still says that she is proud of her son, that Fred had died doing what he had always wanted to do – serving as a US Marine.
“For Eight Years, I Was A Basket Case”
The TV was reporting a sandstorm which had caused a helicopter to crash in the desert just west of Baghdad. All the family knew at this point was that the helicopter had been transporting marines.
Eventually, the Maciels heard the dreaded knock at the door and Patsy’s world crashed down around her. She confessed that for 8 years she had no idea how she could go on living, and continued to struggle with a desperate empty feeling since the loss of her son.
Iraq War’s Deadliest Day
The Maciel family were not alone in their grief, there were 30 other marines that were killed during the accident which became the most deadly single event for the US Military throughout the course of the Iraq war.
The soldiers were heading towards a polling station which was to enable Iraq to hold long-awaited democratic elections. It was a key point in the restoration of democracy and freedom to Iraq and this was to be their last mission.
Honored By Congressional Eulogy
Fred Maciel was honored in Congress when his representative delivered a eulogy detailing his sacrifice for his country at such a young age when he had all his life ahead of him.
He told Congress that Fred had planned to get married to his fiancée, Jamie Hommel when he returned home following the Iraqi elections. Sadly this was not to be.
Semper Fi
Representative Poe promised that Lance Corporal Maciel would always be remembered.
His dedication to duty, his role in the establishment of democracy in Iraq and his untimely death in the cause of liberty was a beacon of inspiration for the US people, and his devotion to the pursuit of freedom would never be forgotten. He ended “So Semper Fi, Lance Corporal Maciel, Semper Fi.”
Tribute Flag Missing
As always the Marines returned the fallen soldier’s belonging to the family and when Fred’s effects arrived with his mother she had no idea that her son’s unit had made the tribute flag, or that it was missing.
In fact, it was so long ago by now, it is unlikely that anyone would remember the flag at all. Nine years later Catie Brown messaged Patsy Maciel and asked for her phone number.
The two women spoke and Catie told Patsy the news that she had something special of her son’s that she wanted to return to her.
Calvary Hill
Instead of mailing the flag, Walter, Lanie and Catie decided to travel down to meet Patsy and the flag was handed over in Calvary Hill Cemetery in Texas, where Fred has been laid to rest.
When Catie arrived she was greeted, not only by Fred’s mom, but other members of his family, his friends and some of the Marine and Patriot Guard Riders who saluted Patsy in memory of her fallen son.
An Honor To Present The Flag
Walter, Lanie and Catie Brown handed over the flag to Patsy Maciel in a short ceremony, telling her how honored they were to have found the flag and being given the opportunity to return it to her.
Walter Brown watched her speak with tears in his eyes and told Fred’s mom that he felt both honored and privileged to be able to present her with the flag. It was a deeply touching occasion.
“Nobody Forgot My Son”
An emotional Patsy told USA today that she was so happy and felt great to be getting the flag back. To her this was like getting something of her son and she was overjoyed that people had not forgotten him, just as she would never forget him. She spoke of how she finally felt at peace.
Fred, The Fallen Hero
That day at the cemetery those present were all moved to tears as they paid tribute to Fred Maciel and recognized his sacrifice.
All of those present had been touched by Fred in some way, either in life or after his death and for his mom, it was a reminder of how she would always be held as part of a community of veterans and the families of the fallen.
It is a day that everyone who attended will remember and share for the rest of their lives.
A Special Significance
Fred’s cousin, Lee Nelson was also amazed that the flag had found its way back to the Maciel family. It is incredible that had the Brown’s decision not to visit the flea market that day the flag would still be lost and would never have been returned to Fred’s family.
Luckily Walter and Lanie Brown knew there was something special about the flag and that for someone out there it was a treasured memory, and decided not to leave without it.
Huge Responsibility
Patsy Maciel did not even know that the flag was missing, but it was the kindness and tenacity of the Brown family that reunited her with the lost item that connected her to the very special memories of her son.
The experience has led to a real bonding between the 2 families, with Patsy and Lanie becoming great friends.
