An American Hero

For the past 99 years, November 11^th has been a day of honor and remembrance for the brave who have and are defending our great flag. Of course, this hits close to home with us here at The Heritage Flag Company®, where we spend our days handcrafting the stars and stripes. In fact, the very first Heritage Flag was a Veterans Day “thank you” gift three years ago. Since then, we are still saying thank you to the individuals that inspire, sacrifice, and protect for our grand nation.

This Veterans Day, we had the privilege of honoring a local hero and Purple Heart recipient. George Dawkins, the only child of a country farmer, grew up right down the road here in North Carolina. At age 19, George was drafted into the US Army. Upon completing basic training, he was shipped off to serve as part of the 198^th Infantry Division in the Vietnam War.

One evening George was out on patrol with his unit as the platoon radio man, when they were suddenly ambushed. He suffered gunshot wounds to both his head and neck. As choppers arrived to collect the fallen soldiers, George was loaded up among them and assumed to be dead- but that was not the case.

Fortunately, George survived his injuries but came back home to North Carolina a different man. Suffering memory loss and unaware of who he was or even his parents, George had to re-learn everything he once knew so well.

To this day George continues to live with plates in his cranium, scars along his head and neck, and fragments of a bullet lodged in his brain. His right arm has been permanently paralyzed. Determined to make the most of his situation, George was resilient and resolved to work around his condition. He grew up to raise three children with his wife Sandy of 43 years. With one hand, he taught them all how to swim, ride a bike, and tie their shoes.

Today at our shop, surrounded by his family, we presented George Dawkins with a Heritage Flag. We can’t comprehend the sacrifices he has made for us and our country, but we can thank him the best way know how. This Veterans Day, let’s all unite in thanking the service men and women in our lives for their patriotism and willingness give their all.