BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — An American flag that has honored thousands of fallen American heroes nationwide now sits in the presence of Deputy Greg McCowan.
That flag is the United States Honor Flag. It arrived in East Tennessee Tuesday afternoon from Florida after the U.S. Honor Flag organization honored fallen Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Zachary Fink.
This flag pays tribute to service and sacrifice. It honors the life of America's fallen hero.
Cindy Heisler, a former law enforcement officer and Director of Operations of The United States Honor Flag, said her husband started the Honor Flag in 2001.
She said the start of the flag began right after 9/11 when her partner, Chris Heisler, led Texas first responders to Ground Zero. In response, the Texas House of Representatives gifted him an American flag and a Texas flag.
Chris carried both flags as he led the group through Ground Zero. The American flag he carried memorialized the fallen heroes of 9/11.
Soon after the flag's first trip to Ground Zero, people began to request the United States Honor Flag for first responders and service members who died in the line of duty.
The United States Honor Flag has traveled from Ground Zero, to NASA's last space shuttle mission and now in the presence of Deputy McCowan.
"It will be with Deputy McCowan until his services are finalized," Heisler said.
The flag has honored the lives of thousands of first responders and service members.
"You can feel the emotion in that flag," she said.
Four different agencies in East Tennessee led the flag procession from the airport to Deputy McCowan's visitation site.
"The strongest people that we have worked with are the survivors," Heisler said.
The sacredness of the flag can only be handled with gloves and cannot be touched with the same set of gloves twice.
"Those gloves will be gifted to Deputy McCowan family," she said.