‘I just wanted to get the flag off the ground’

By John Dobberstein, Editor

An employee for the city of Broken Arrow was honored Tuesday for actions taken when he noticed an American flag on the ground in front of a home.

While on duty March 5, David Heard noticed an American Flag laying in a driveway. He also observed that the flagpole was broken. The city said Heard took the personal initiative to pick the flag up and take it to the front door of the residence to advise the owners their flag had fallen.

Heard can be seen on a doorbell camera telling the homeowners he found the flag in the driveway. He rolled it up and placed it on the porch.

“Mr. Heard’s patriotism and selfless service does not go unnoticed by the homeowner, City Council, or the Administration. Neither does his act of going above and beyond as a city employee,” the City Council said in a resolution honoring Heard.

Heard operates a street sweeper for the city’s Streets and Stormwater Department. In a video shared at the City Council meeting Tuesday, Heard said he was making note of what locations he’d been to that day when he looked in his mirror and saw a flag on the ground, so he drove over to investigate – noting it was a windy day.

Heard picked the flag up, brought it to the house, rang the doorbell and said he would roll it up and stand it in the corner of the porch. “Maybe you’ll have a chance to secure it later,” he said.  

Heard said he didn’t have the opportunity to serve in the military but had many relatives and friends who did.

“I am a patriotic guy. I just wanted to get the flag off the ground,” he said. “It didn’t belong there and didn’t need to be there. So, I wanted to pick it up and make sure the homeowner came home and could find it.”