Thieves Steal Family's Flag On Display Since Sept. 11
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BURLESON (CBSDFW.COM) – A flag that has been proudly displayed by a Burleson family since 9/11, was swiped in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday.
Jennifer Baine's home is on a quaint Burleson street where the Lone Star and Old Glory dot nearly every house. Her homemade flag was an institution on the block.
"It's been there since 9/11 and now it's gone. I called my girls. I said, 'Someone took our flag,' and they were devastated because it's part of our family," Baine says.
The flag is also part of the Baine's family history. Captured in Christmas photos throughout the years. It has been the backdrop for special occasions.
"One of the first pictures that popped in my head, one of my older girls standing here with her prom date in front of the flag," she explains.
They wanted to take a photo by the flag," she adds.
After 9/11, the homeowner wanted to hang a flag but didn't own one.
"There were no flags to be bought anywhere. And so I said, 'we have this old barn wood. I'll make a flag."
The Stars and Stripes she meticulously spray painted survived storms. But on Wednesday afternoon, as a neighbor stepped out to grab the mail, he saw two men hauling it away.
"I asked them who they were. They stuttered a little bit, and told me that they'd been doing her yard," says Earl Cooper.
Mr. Cooper knew what the flag meant to the Baine's, but says the two men insisted the homeowner wanted them to have it.
The family has been remodeling; seeing people working at the home is not uncommon.
The family had stored the flag in the backyard while the front of the house got a paint job.
Feeling uneasy about the situation, Mr. Cooper and his daughter gave Mrs. Baine a call. His instinct had been right.
"My first response is I'm heartbroken. The other part of me is wondering why, why someone would come and take it," asks Baine.
Mr. Cooper says the two men in their 20's were driving a black Ford Crew Cab pick up truck.
The homeowner is filing a police report, but says she just wants the priceless possession back home where it belongs--no questions asked.
"Our neighbors are looking out for it. I just want the flag back. I don't want any ill will I just want the flag."
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