A pair of patriotic friends came up with a unique way to pay tribute to the troops by displaying an American flag in an outstanding fashion. Not only did the gesture make headlines, but it raised funds for a great cause in the process.
Carpenter Kyle O’May and his friend Tyler Shear, from Bourbonnais, Illinois, decided to take on the ambitious task of painting the iconic stars and stripes onto Kyle’s front lawn, a gesture that coincided with a fourth-of-July party at the O’May residence.
Weeks before the party, O'May was already considering preparations for rendering the 40-feet-long-by-26-feet-wide American flag by clearing bushes and trees and mowing the lawn meticulously. “We want to do the best that we can do to make it look and represent,” he said.
“That’s the American spirit!” exclaimed supportive neighbor Mike Cherry, watching the preparations unfold.
“This is our second year doing it now,” O'May continued, giving context to the gargantuan project’s 2019 revival, “and after we did it the first time, as soon as it got done, we looked at it and we realized that it’s going to have to get done every year.”
“There’s no escaping it,” he added with a smile. “It’s not just for us, it’s for men and women shipped overseas, for their community around us. What the flag means to me is pure joy, happiness, and freedom.
“There ain’t nothing better than every morning, or for about a week, I can look out into my front room and look down and see that flag. It brings a good feeling.”
On the occasion of his party, O'May collected a $10 donation from each of his guests for the Wounded Warrior Project. He also set up a GoFundMe page to boost funds and was ultimately able to raise over $1,200 for the veterans’ initiative.
“I chose the Wounded Warrior Project because I know it’s already a lot to ask these men and women to go overseas and fight for our freedom,” O'May explained, “and then with the unforeseen circumstances that they have to deal with, and having a whole other fight when they come back home, I just want to do the best that I can to support and help with their fight here.”
Wanting to make sure that everything looked perfect, O'May reiterated the amount of work that went into the preparations for rendering the American flag on his lawn: From lawn mowing to measurements, from drawing to cutting templates, from painting to perfecting all 50 stars and 13 stripes, the project was truly a labor of love.
O'May adds, “It’s just our little appreciation toward the past and the currently serving military.”
