Firefighters Restore Flag Stolen From World War II Veteran's Home
NASHUA, N.H. (CBS) -- Raising the flag at his Nashua home is not something 91-year-old Richard Chasse takes for granted.
"No matter where you go you see the flag, you say that's your country," Chasse said.
But last month when vandals saw Chasse's flag flying above a grassy spot in his front yard, they grabbed it pole and all.
"I think they're awful, they shouldn't be around. There's no purpose at all," he tells WBZ-TV.
Chasse is a World War II veteran who survived a Japanese air attack on board the USS Franklin. He's also a retired deputy fire chief in Nashua, New Hampshire. Local firefighters took up his cause, this week arriving with a new pole and flag they donated themselves.
"I think it's a lot of disrespect for this man who served honorably in the Navy, and then someone steals his flag," said Nashua deputy fire chief Glen MacDonald.
The new one will defy vandals, as firefighters dug and cemented it into the ground just in time for Memorial Day when Chasse remembers his fallen comrades.
"That makes a big difference, so many of us got killed," he said.
Chasse has been an easy target for vandals who have stolen two other flags from his property in the past year. This act of giving is making him feel appreciated for his service.
"I want people to see it when they drive by and realize they're lucky it's flying," he said.