Father & Son Inspire Whole Town to Hang Hundreds of American Flags in NY Community

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It all started with a father’s lesson to his son about patriotism.

Soon, they inspired the whole community of Seaford, New York, to hang American flags throughout town.

Father Eric Uss came up with the idea when he started seeing red, white, and blue popping up elsewhere throughout the five boroughs of New York; and putting up American flags in his neighborhood seemed like a good way to spend more time with his son, Frankie, during the lockdown—while teaching him a valuable lesson at the same time.

So in June, they started by hanging the stars and stripes in front of their house.

“I thought it would be a great idea to Frankie out there with me because we were stuck in quarantine. It was something to do together,” Eric told Fox and Friends. “And we started with one flag in front of my house on a utility pole. And then I started a page on Facebook, and it took off.”

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Then, Eric founded Flags Fly High group on Facebook, and the movement spread like wildfire. The whole community began hanging hundreds of flags throughout Seaford.

The father said they heard honks of support and “God bless America” from supportive neighbors, and that was an important lesson for Frankie.

“When I first started doing it, it was because I had seen other towns and communities doing it,” he shared. “And I just love the American flag, I love what it stands for. I wanted it to decorate the streets. I just wanted it to be a positive look at the flag. I wanted [Frankie] and everyone else to see positivity in what the flag is and what it could be.”

The experience also showed his son how such a small gesture could mean so much, and even inspire a movement.

“I wanted him to see that there’s so much good in the world, and by doing something as small as putting up a flag on a utility pole could cause such an amazing movement,” Eric told Fox and Friends. “And him being out there with me, the entire town of Seaford came out, beeping horns, saying beautiful things to us, wishing ‘God bless America.’

“And the whole point was for them to go out and hang a flag in front of their pole with their family. And they have come out in droves.

“And I wanted him to see that something so small could be so big, and it could be an amazing, amazing positive change.”

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Among the supporters, Rep. Pete King shared a patriotic Facebook post on July 17 showing American flags being hung in his neighborhood.

“Yesterday Jack Whidden, a neighbor and veteran police officer, was on a ladder attaching our nation’s flag to the lamp post in front of my house,” King wrote. “Jack brought his two young children with him to share the patriotic moment.

“I went out and thanked him for being such a proud and loyal American. Really encouraging to see this sense of patriotism.

“God Bless America!!”

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