I had seen a whole bunch of flags lining the street this morning, but I had no idea what they were there for until I saw this.
FAIRBURY-- A family is remembering their fallen airman today in Livingston County.
Memorial services for 35 year old Air Force Captain Nathan Nylander are happening in his family's hometown of Fairbury.
Nylander was killed at Kabul's airport in April.
And when a community is mourning those who have fallen, there's one out-of-towner that's called to action.
Larry Eckhardt spends his days traveling the states.
"Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, any place we can go."
He's never served in the military.
Yet, he is armed with one of the nation's most powerful symbols.
And a troop of dedicated followers.
Eckhardt's known, as "The Flag Man."
"To me, it's an honor, it really is. There's a lot worse things I could be called," Eckhardt jokes.
His mission started five years ago.
He wanted to provide an outlet for communities suffering from the loss of a service member.
It's a message that's now spread to Fairbury.
1,050 flags, 20 volunteers, 16 blocks.
All to help one family heal.
"That shows a lot about these town's and I tend to get a little emotional because it gives everybody a chance to let the family know, we're behind ya," explains Eckhardt.
Ryan Rafferty brought out his sons, because the meaning hits so close to home.
"We've got a brother in law over in Afghanistan, they've got an uncle there, and a brother-in-law in basic training. And we're friends of the Nylander family," says Rafferty.
Some have never met the fallen airman being memorialized.
"No, no, I didn't know him," explains Navy Veteran Don Eskesen.
But they show up because they know how lucky they are to be alive.
"I was on this, my brother was on this, we had a real bad fire one time. A lot of men lost their lives from that fire," Eskesen says.
It seems as the troops continue through the streets, almost everyone was drawn to why they were there.
And that's exactly what "The Flag Man" says it's all about.
"They didn't know me. They didn't know what I wanted to do, and boom. They're there. I've had 'em show up at 10 above zero. And they just show up. No thanks required. They just show up to help," says Eckhardt.
Eckhardt is from Little York, Illinois, near Galesburg.
He says he buys all of his own flags to line the streets.
He's counting on a donation later this year to help with even more flags.
http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=182347
FAIRBURY-- A family is remembering their fallen airman today in Livingston County.
Memorial services for 35 year old Air Force Captain Nathan Nylander are happening in his family's hometown of Fairbury.
Nylander was killed at Kabul's airport in April.
And when a community is mourning those who have fallen, there's one out-of-towner that's called to action.
Larry Eckhardt spends his days traveling the states.
"Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, any place we can go."
He's never served in the military.
Yet, he is armed with one of the nation's most powerful symbols.
And a troop of dedicated followers.
Eckhardt's known, as "The Flag Man."
"To me, it's an honor, it really is. There's a lot worse things I could be called," Eckhardt jokes.
His mission started five years ago.
He wanted to provide an outlet for communities suffering from the loss of a service member.
It's a message that's now spread to Fairbury.
1,050 flags, 20 volunteers, 16 blocks.
All to help one family heal.
"That shows a lot about these town's and I tend to get a little emotional because it gives everybody a chance to let the family know, we're behind ya," explains Eckhardt.
Ryan Rafferty brought out his sons, because the meaning hits so close to home.
"We've got a brother in law over in Afghanistan, they've got an uncle there, and a brother-in-law in basic training. And we're friends of the Nylander family," says Rafferty.
Some have never met the fallen airman being memorialized.
"No, no, I didn't know him," explains Navy Veteran Don Eskesen.
But they show up because they know how lucky they are to be alive.
"I was on this, my brother was on this, we had a real bad fire one time. A lot of men lost their lives from that fire," Eskesen says.
It seems as the troops continue through the streets, almost everyone was drawn to why they were there.
And that's exactly what "The Flag Man" says it's all about.
"They didn't know me. They didn't know what I wanted to do, and boom. They're there. I've had 'em show up at 10 above zero. And they just show up. No thanks required. They just show up to help," says Eckhardt.
Eckhardt is from Little York, Illinois, near Galesburg.
He says he buys all of his own flags to line the streets.
He's counting on a donation later this year to help with even more flags.
http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=182347

