Out of reverence, the United States’ flag should never touch the ground — under any circumstances.
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Cole Dotson, a future Marine, took that standard to heart.
The 18-year-old was driving by Continental High School in Continental, Ohio, and noticed the American flag in the front of the school was lying on the ground. He parked his car and picked up the flag, calling his grandmother (who works at Continental) to help.
His mother’s photograph of the incident is going viral on Facebook. But Dotson told ABC News that he was just doing his duty.
“I was just doing what I thought was my duty as an American citizen and future Marine,” he says.
He held the flag for about 20 minutes until someone came to relieve him.