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Dan Walker

At the 1984 Republican Convention in Dallas, a protester was arrested for violating the Texas law against burning the American flag. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that flag-burning was a form of free speech, I guess because it was as close as that protester could come to expressing his opinions intelligently. But this is the story behind that story:

Dan Walker saw that flag being burned that day. As a West Point graduate and veteran of World War II and Korea, Dan felt sick to think of the remnants of that flag being swept up and thrown into a trash can. So he picked the remnants up, and gave them a proper and respectful burial in his back yard. A reporter saw him gathering the flag’s ashes, and it made national news. Dan received the Army’s highest civilian award and a thank-you letter from President Reagan. But Dan’s pastor said he was a shy man who didn’t want publicity, he just wanted to do the right thing by his country’s flag. Dan Walker passed away last week in Fort Worth at 81. He probably wouldn’t expect any more than a dignified and respectful burial. But I’m giving him a big Huck’s Hero salute, anyway.

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